


You are The World

by chocoyeol



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-11 17:26:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4445315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocoyeol/pseuds/chocoyeol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Top 5 gamers are called to assist an investigation into horrific accidents that have resulted from playing a certain game. Will they survive or will they perish in the game and fall into a coma forever?</p><p>(One chapter posted each day until the end of <a href="http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/">The Exordium Challenge</a>, on August 2nd)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Appreciation Note:**  
>  Thank you so, so much to the mods who kind of kicked me through all this, I'm finally there! Almost at the end! ヾ(。◕ฺ∀◕ฺ)ノ 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to my beta, [Emily](http://theforgettable.livejournal.com/), who patiently sat through my procrastination and got my chapters back to me before time. I owe you so much ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡
> 
> For everyone who wants to read other EXO long fics, please head to [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/) to read all the other amazing stories!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:**  
>  Many of the ideas in this fic was inspired by the anime Sword Art Online and my online experience in MMORPGs. I do not own the stories in them, only the idea that stemmed from it.
> 
> I also, do not own or am affiliated to any EXO member, the members are owned by themselves and their copyright remains with SM (or other company). I am only using them in this fic as entertainment and does not reflect them, at any point, in real life.

* * *

  **Prologue**

 

 _The clear skies shrouded slightly with clouds as the birds flitted back to their nests for the night, the approaching nightfall a sign that darker forces are at rise. The antelope sprung away as glowing eyes watched them from the shadows, low growling alerting them that the wolf pack was starting their hunt. Two shadows flitted across the open plains in a hurry whilst trying to hush the sounds of their gear, the way lit only by the smooth crystal atop a staff. They crouched low as they neared the clearing where they could see the ghouls moaning, the creatures’ long awkward limbs dragging on the ground as they flailed about trying to attack each other and groaned like Chewbacca from the Star Wars franchise when their creaking limbs made contact with something solid._   


 

_The two paused, frozen in place as the grass rustled next to them, eyes and ears alert when the ghouls turned towards the sound. With a "URRRRHHHH", a long rotting arm flattened the patch of grass next to them; a small "chu" sounded as the tiny rabbit disappeared in a puff of white smoke. The ghoul stared at the spot with dead eyes, as if pondering why he had killed an innocent rabbit. But as soon as the thought passed, he let out another groan and resumed flinging his arms at the other nearby ghouls._

 

_The smaller of the two shadows motioned for silence as he slowly took a creeping step forward. With a brandish of his long-sword, he charged out at the unsuspecting ghouls who turned their heads towards the new sound. There was a flurry of movements, limbs flying, and the sickening sound of metal meeting bone rang though the air. Bodies dropped to the floor and disappeared; the dust clearing to show the items that laid scattered on the ground where un-dead corpses had fallen. Once it was safe enough, the other male darted forward; nimble hands plucking the bottles and bags of coins quickly before more ghouls respawn. Even though he was entirely capable of fighting them himself, he would rather save his MP for better purposes such as healing or when someone is in need of desperate help._

 

_A victory fanfare played in the background as the warrior landed the final hit, the monster falling to the ground before disintegrating and leaving behind a small chest. He bent down to pick it up, flipping the latch open to reveal a golden armour piece, the final item to complete the set for their quest._

 

_"Great work Kyungsoo! You're amazing at this! I'm so glad you're my partner."_

 

 _His partner, the mage dressed in midnight blue robes, clapped_   _him on the shoulder with a grin. Kyungsoo lifted his face guard and grinned back widely, his lips stretching into his adorable heart-shaped smile that made everyone coo happily. Sheathing his sword carefully, he started to lift the armour out of the chest, the moonlight glinting off the polished metal as the clouds parted overhead._

 

_"Thank you, hyung. I'm glad you're always there, watching my back."_

 

_A loud crackling sound started and a faint voice called out in the night. The mage blushed and turned his head to hiss in the direction of the female voice._

 

_"Mum! I'm in the middle of game time!"_

 

_He turned back to the younger warrior with a sheepish grin, white teeth shining as he reached over to ruffle Kyungsoo's red hair affectionately._

 

_"I have to go now, Kyungie. I'll see you next time I'm online okay?"_

 

_Kyungsoo smiled back and nodded, slipping the armour into his bag and puffed his cheeks. He really wanted to spend more time with his favourite hyung, but since the other was close to entering college, their time together slowly shortened from hours online together to barely 50 minutes._

 

_"Don't take too long, hyung. I'll be waiting at our secret place in the mountain." Kyungsoo held onto the other's hand tightly. "Please don't take too long, hyung... I'll wait for you all my life if I could just see you again."_

 

_The decorated hat bowed when the man nodded, face bright with a wide smile. He chuckled and slowly walked towards town with Kyungsoo, hand-in-hand as he slowly started fading._

 

 _"See you soon, Kyungsoo-ah."_

 

_"Goodbye, Suho-hyung..." Kyungsoo whispered to the empty night air as the fireflies twirled around him slowly in a sad dance of loneliness._

 

 


	2. Link, Start!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Top 5 gamers are called to assist an investigation into horrific accidents that have resulted from playing a certain game. Will they survive or will they perish in the game and fall into a coma forever?
> 
> (One chapter posted each day until the end of [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/), on August 2nd)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Appreciation Note:**  
>  Thank you so, so much to the mods who kind of kicked me through all this, I'm finally there! Almost at the end! ヾ(。◕ฺ∀◕ฺ)ノ 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to my beta, [Emily](http://theforgettable.livejournal.com/), who patiently sat through my procrastination and got my chapters back to me before time. I owe you so much ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡
> 
> For everyone who wants to read other EXO long fics, please head to [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/) to read all the other amazing stories!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:**  
>  Many of the ideas in this fic was inspired by the anime Sword Art Online and my online experience in MMORPGs. I do not own the stories in them, only the idea that stemmed from it.
> 
> I also, do not own or am affiliated to any EXO member, the members are owned by themselves and their copyright remains with SM (or other company). I am only using them in this fic as entertainment and does not reflect them, at any point, in real life.

* * *

 

**Chapter 1: Link, Start!**

 

**_CASE #900611: Utopia_ **

 

_**Name:** Do Kyungsoo_

_**Age:** 17_

_**Gender:** Male_

_**D.O.B:** January 12th 2078_

_**Nationality:** Korean_

_**T.O.D:** January 12th 2095, 11.59pm_

_C.O.D: Starvation and reported signs of depression. Teenager was still attached to the online game called Utopia. Game has since closed down due to public criticism._

  ** _CASE CLOSED_**

 

_**CASE REOPENED** December 27th 2100_

_Report: Under Frost Games, Utopia was redesigned and reopened to the public on April 8th 2100 as 'The World’. Number of players hit over 9 million within a fortnight, making it the most popular online game to open. First incident to occur was on the 27 th of November of the same year, when a Korean male named Park Chanyeol fell into a coma after shouting about being attacked by a red-eyed wolf. Further research has shown there is no such character as a red-eyed wolf in the World database._

 

 

Minseok snapped the folder closed, looking down at the faces of the board members cowering around the meeting table.

 

"What do you mean there is no such character? We designed every NPC in The World, and we only kept the landscape from Utopia. So why is there a non-existent, red-eyed wolf  attacking people in game?"

 

There was no answer. Every person just glanced at each other before wincing from the ringing slap of the folder against the glass table. The door slammed open, and a pile of papers slid across the glossy surface of the table and spread all the way to the other end where it showed the printed designs of all the canine species found in the game. The Director looked up in shock, straight into the eyes of the Head Detective, Huang Zitao.

 

"Well... It looks like you have a glitch in your game, Mr. Kim. Unless you want to pay the hospital charges for the rest of Mr. Park's coma, I suggest you give us your full cooperation during our investigation into this incident."

 

Minseok sighed and turned away to look out the window. His eyes followed the birds that flew past the window as he remained deep in thought with a firm expression on his youthful face. After a few moments of thinking, the round face broke into a hopeless frown, orange hair flopping as he nodded. The meeting was adjourned as each staff member went off with the police, Minseok remaining behind with Zitao.

 

"So, how will this work? We don't know where this thing appeared from. From what I've seen, it's pretty dangerous." The shorter Director sat down in his chair wearily, eyes sliding closed from exhaustion. "I can't afford to send my workers in because I need them to run the game from out here."

 

"You just have to monitor your game, do what you've always done. Leave the investigating to my team and me. Now that we're alone, let me give you a run-down of how exactly we are going to make this work."

 

Zitao pulled a pile of folders from his suitcase, laying them neatly on the glass surface of the meeting table. Revealed were the profiles of 5 young men, their smiling photos gleaming next to their personal details.

 

_**Name:** Kim Jongdae_

_**Gaming Name:** Chen_

_**D.O.B:** September 21st 2077_

_**Profession:** Game Designer, Professional Gamer_

_**Country of Origin:** South Korea_

_**Country of Residence:** South Korea_

_**Gaming Experience:** 4 years in Top 5 gamers of the year._

_**World Gamer Ranking:** #2_

 

_**Name:** Kris Wu/ Kevin Wu/ Li Jiaheng/ Wu Yifan_

_**Gaming Name:** Kris_

_**D.O.B:** November 6th 2075_

_**Profession:** Professional Basketball Player_

_**Country of Origin:** China_

_**Country of Residence:** Canada_

_**Gaming Experience:** 6 years in Top 5 gamers of the year, 2 years best Game Moderator_

_**World Gamer Ranking:** #4_

 

_**Name:** Lu Han_

_**Gaming Name:** Bambi_

_**D.O.B:** April 20th 2075_

_**Profession:** Professional Soccer Player_

_**Country of Origin:** China_

_**Country of Residence:** China_

_**Gaming Experience:** 5 years Alpha- and Beta-testing popular games worldwide_

_**World Gamer Ranking:** #3_

 

_**Name:** Kim Jongin_

_**Gaming Name:** Kai_

_**D.O.B:** January 14th 2078_

_**Profession:** Dance instructor, game reviewer for IGN_

_**Country of Origin:** South Korea_

_**Country of Residence:** America_

_**Gaming Experience:** 2 years in Top 5 gamers of the year, 3 years best Final Fantasy Online player_

_**World Gamer Ranking:** #5_

 

_**Name:** Kim Joonmyeon_

_**Gaming Name:** Suho_

_**D.O.B:** May 22nd 2077_

_**Profession:** Character designer, Game sponsor_

_**Country of Origin:** South Korea_

_**Country of Residence:** England_

_**Gaming Experience:** 5 years in Top 5 gamers of the year, designer for Square Enix, Ubisoft Montreal and various other popular companies._

_**World Gamer Ranking:** #1_

 

"These young men have all agreed to help us in the investigation. I want your side to do what you can to provide them with all their essential information about your game before we send them in to find out exactly what this 'wolf' is and how it is causing people to fall into comas."

 

Minseok nodded and ran a hand through his slightly tousled orange hair, breaking his stern image as he sighed. The hand that rested against the glass slowly slid to the intercom sitting on the table. He hesitated as his finger hovered over the red button, eyes searching the dark tunnels in front of him before he pressed down.

 

"Please prepare a floor of our building complete with secure phone and internet connection. Only authorized workers are allowed to enter the area. Employees are to treat the players as people of utmost importance and will retrieve anything they may need."

 

Zitao placed a hand onto the shorter man's shoulder, giving the director his appreciation silently.

 

"Thank you for your cooperation in aiding this case. It would have been more troublesome if I had turned up with a warrant for you to turn over all your confidential files concerning the designs and information about your game."

 

* * *

 

 

The black limousine pulled up at the front steps of the building with ease, drawing in paparazzi that swarmed like ants to a lump of sugar. As the driver swung the door open, giving way to a foot, the cameras began to flash. Sneaker-clad feet landed lightly on the carpet before the connected body slid out of the car with almost feminine grace. The man was lean and fit, a bit on the short side with a flop of pink hair on his head that framed a young looking face. Minseok would have never guessed that the man was just a few months younger than him, watching from inside the building as the pink head bobbed politely at the reporters before dashing for the door.

 

"Hello! My name is Lu Han. Nice to meet you!"

 

Lu Han flashed Minseok a charming smile that almost disarmed his stern exterior. The director nodded his head and held out his hand for a quick handshake but instead, he found himself being hugged tightly by the slightly taller soccer player.

 

"Oh my, I'm working with such a cute director with amazing cheeks! May I touch them?"

 

Minseok stiffly swatted Lu Han away as the revolving doors spun gently, alerting him to the arrival of a second member of the gaming team. He waved to the pink-haired man as he was led away by one of the staff members, eyes glancing over to the new guy that stood off to the side. He had high cheekbones that defined his sharp jawline, lips curled slightly to give him that mischievous look while his eyes wandered around the interior of the reception as if to scope out his escape route. Minseok approached him slowly, hands raised as if to show that he was harmless.

 

"Welcome to Frost Games. I am the Director, Kim Minseok... You must be Jongdae?"

 

The man nodded and visibly relaxed, shoulders slumping slightly as he reached to shake Minseok's hand gently. Forcing a smile, Minseok led Jongdae over to the elevators and motioned for one of his employees to make sure that Jongdae settled nicely into his new workspace. About half an hour later, two rather tall men stepped through the entrance and made their way confidently over to Minseok and Zitao who were monitoring the two players upstairs.

 

"Wu Yifan and Kim Jongin reporting for uh... duty."

 

The taller of the two, Yifan, mocked a salute, face set in a permanent scowl. He was very lanky, as expected from a world famous basketball star; hair of manageable length dyed dark blonde and pulled back into a small tuft at the back. Jongin just gave them a sleepy look, eyes drooping with everlasting tiredness while he fixed the backpack on his shoulder; neatly trimmed black hair framing his blank but youthful face. The Director and Detective had barely introduced themselves when a cheery voice called out from the doorway.

 

"Hello there! Sorry if I'm late. The traffic was terribly slow. I'm Kim Joonmyeon at your service!"

 

A short man waddled up next to Yifan, eyes crinkled and lips pulled back in a wide smile to make him look like he was in some sort of pain. Joonmyeon had wonderfully sleek black hair, combed and gelled into place to match his pristine suit that made everyone in the vicinity feel like cheap copies of the real thing. Shaking off the feeling of being inferior, Zitao was the first to recover and narrowed his cat-like eyes to stare the men down. The three cowered slightly when Minseok came to their rescue.

 

"My name is Kim Minseok, the Director of Frost Games and this here is Detective Huang Zitao whom you will be working under for this investigation. If you would follow us up to your new temporary workplace, we will brief you and the other two team members about your mission."

 

Three workers rushed over to take their belongings up as Minseok ushered them into the elevator, scanning his card before pressing the button for the 30th floor. The ride up to the floor was quiet and awkward as Jongin and Yifan spoke in hushed voices, occasionally shaking their heads or glancing at the menacing form of Zitao who watched them closely from behind his dark sunglasses. The signalling ding of the doors alerted them to their arrival; the parting metal revealing the workspace. The curious three team members poked their heads out to look between the widening gap, only to be temporarily blinded by the filtering light from the room. Minseok allowed his workers to usher the three men out of the elevator before following, waving his hand to call all the staff in the area to prepare for the briefing. The five men were told to sit around the meeting table obediently, wide eyes following the scurrying people around them as whiteboards were rolled in and folders plunked on the table. Within a few minutes, the whole room was set up with all the information needed to brief the men completely for their mission. Minseok motioned for the first whiteboard, covered with detailed sketches of the terrain maps and many drawings of the red-eyed wolf.

 

"As you know, you all are the best of the best online gamers—Top 5 of the world, actually—and you are gathered here to help us in an investigation into why there are mysterious problems in our game. This is a detailed map of The World, marked with safe houses that we are setting up for you and areas highlighted where there have been sightings of the mysterious wolf. We want you to approach these areas with caution and only when we agree that you are ready. You will have two days to settle down and study the information in the folders before we start the preparation for your entering into the game. Any questions?"

 

A hand slowly raised from behind the tall, angry looking man named Yifan; a youthful face popped out with wide intrigued eyes like a small deer. Minseok remembered him as the popular soccer player Luhan.

 

"Yes Luhan?"

 

"Do we get time out of the game to relax? I want to take you out on a--"

 

He had barely begun to speak about his dinner plans when Zitao interrupted with a sharp glare, silencing the man with an icy look. Luhan retreated behind Yifan, eyes wavering and lip quivering.

 

"O-Okay. I get it. Stay professional."

 

Zitao seemingly thinks for a while longer before nodding, walking over to a floor plan of their work area. A thin metal rod jabs at the whiteboard as he barked out the functions of each area as though they were preparing for a war, the tip of the rod tapping harshly against the surface. Rest area for resting, work area for working, training area for keeping fit... Jongin's head was already dropping repeatedly from the information, he just wanted to jump straight into the game but he knew that caution was needed because of the dangers of incompetence.

 

"... And you may go! You have the rest of the afternoon to recuperate, get to know each other and settle into your new temporary home! Tomorrow your extensive 48 hour training starts at 9am sharp."

 

Five heads shot up and their corresponding chairs screeched against the floor as they got up to rush out of the room, eager to hide from the piercing watch of Zitao. Feet pattered against cold tile, rushes of air brushing past as they acquainted themselves with their temporary accommodation. Yifan and Joonmyeon headed straight for kitchen to fill their stomachs. Jongin decided to flop straight onto the nearest comfortable surface like it was made of silk. In the tutorial room, Chen was already expertly mashing buttons of the Playstation console while in deep conversation with Luhan on the best approach for the soccer player’s undying crush on the CEO of Frost Games.

 

* * *

 

The alarm blared at exactly 8am the next morning, sounding more like the horn of a bootcamp than an alarm. Five men jumped up and stumbled to the bathroom to get ready, fighting over who would be the one to make the coffee. After quick showers and even quicker breakfasts, five pairs of shoes shuffled out the door and to the training area.

 

The program was intense as they spent hours memorising and tested on the different areas of The World, not resting until they had all memorised the names of the towns, identify all the different NPC monsters and the different attack combos for each skill set.

 

The sun had started to set by the time they were allowed to leave and start picking their characters through the compulsory game tutorial of the game system. Minseok watched from behind as the men all slipped on their headpieces and leaned back in the pods to enter the game. The pods were specially designed for the game so that they monitored the player's body while they were inside the game, informing them when their body was tired, hungry or overworked; the pods also automatically logged them out if the players were in critical condition. The pod itself had been in testing for a few months but there had been little to no bugs so Minseok had decided to use them to aid the players in the investigation.

 

When the glass dome of the pods closed over them, the men closed their eyes and let their consciousness be taken over by the game. There were bright lights filtering past their vision, as if they were flying through a vortex of rainbow shards, and the tinkling sounds of the startup animation made Luhan unconsciously giggle when a male voice sounded out in the midst of the tune.

 

"Link, Start!"

 

In one blink, they were standing in a circular room, with holographic pads situated at even intervals around the room, each lighting up with an image representing their weapon mastery. Luhan's eyes immediately focused on the white light that beamed down on an image of a wooden staff with intricately carved runes and images on the smooth wood. He took tentative steps towards it, fingers reaching into the sparkling light as if he were in a trance, not hearing the calls of his comrades behind him. One step was all it took for the light to swirl around him, changing his plain shirt and sweatpants into a white shirt and white tights. His pants were tucked into shiny golden boots and covered with a pearly white ankle-length robe with golden trimming that shimmered magically with gentle movements. To complete his outfit, a hood was drawn over his head. A white wooden staff materialized in front of him, the carvings even more detailed than before, strings of runes, Chinese and Korean characters wrapped around the length of the wood, swirling upwards towards a sparkling gold crystal that was suspended in midair between elegant swirls of wood. Luhan's hair changed from his bubblegum pink to a pale blonde, golden strands framing bright golden eyes as the other four players watched the transformation in awe.

 

"Congratulations, you are now a Mage. Please pick your desired username."

 

So as Luhan walked towards the holographic door, the other four moved towards their own preferred class. There were flickers of what looked like shadows, soon Yifan's white wifebeater replaced by a tight black cropped leather shirt, his toned stomach only covered by a black net-like material that joined to the top of the tight black pants that had appeared in place of his plain basketball shorts. The pants were made of a breathable material around the crotch area but his long legs were wrapped tight with leather that bended exceptionally well with the black boots that made no sound when he moved. Though the outfit seemed very plain at first when compared to Luhan's, at closer inspection, everyone could see the dragon and flames details that were meticulously embossed into the leather and the numerous belts that wrapped around the man's limbs and body. If Yifan had seemed intimidating before, with the black mask that covered the lower half of his face now made him even more angry-looking. His dark blonde hair now, silver-white, gleamed like moonlight, eyes flashing blood-red as he stepped into the next step right behind Luhan.

 

"Congratulations on becoming an Assassin. Please choose your desired username."

 

Next to step forward was Jongdae, a little hesitant, as if he weren't sure what class he wanted to pick. It took another few steps before he nodded, reaching to grab the bow and quiver set that floated in the green light. There were waves of strong winds as his daggy Fantasy Earth: Zero shirt and Kingdom Hearts Roxas cosplay shorts were replaced by green hunter gear. Similar to the clothes seen on Link in The Legend of Zelda series, Jongdae had on a green tunic, sleeves long and thick around his wrists. Around his waist, a golden belt held his daggers and knives, their sheaths brown but gleaming in the light. The intricate golden details carved into them reflecting the light and glittered something precious. Underneath the tunic, the man's legs were clad in white pants that had silver embroidered swans sewn along the sides, the ends tucked into knee-high gold-plated leather boots. His brown hair was now black, decorated by only a hint of green streaked in the fringe while his eyes glittered like emeralds in the light. A longbow and quiver of silver arrows was strapped to his back, and the man craning his head to peek at his equipment, gold-plated fingerless leather gloves reaching back to grab at the engraved wood eagerly.

 

"Congratulations on becoming an Archer. Please step forward to choose your desired username."

 

With a roll of his eyes, Jongin gave the older a shove into the doorway that opened in front of Jongdae. The boy then stepped towards the sword and shield, a grimace on his face. Jongin had always been an archer type but because of Jongdae's ranking as a better archer, the plan was to have Jongin start as a Warrior class for the first time in forever.

 

With a sigh, he grabbed the sword, the red light spreading into a circle around him and splashing against his surroundings in swathes of scarlet. Joonmyeon watched from the side as Jongin's sagging sweatpants were replaced by thick tights, covered in chainmail and shielded by interlinking pieces of armour that gleamed bright red in the light. They were lined with gold and latched together to form an impenetrable shield to protect Jongin's legs. On his torso, his old high school sports polo was exchanged for a tight shirt, then a layer of chainmail weaved itself up from his waist, interlinking tightly to leave no place unprotected. Pieces of armour materialized, a large chest piece, then smaller parts that joined at the sides, locking with the back piece. The armour latched onto each other with clinking sounds, looking like the sharp scales of a dragon's back. Finally, the shoulder guards the last piece to lock into place, the edges gleaming of pain for anyone that might get too close. A golden collar wound around his neck that shielded him from fatal blows and helped set the headgear in place. The head piece was shaped like a dragon's, the spikes smoothly pointing backwards like horns while a black, glass face guard covered the boy's face, making him seem more mysterious than his usual sleepy puppy look.

 

"Congratulations on choosing to be a Warrior. Please follow the steps to choose your username."

 

As Jongin stepped forward to pick his username, Joonmyeon approached the staff that hovered in blue light. In a matter of seconds, he had grasped onto the cold metal of the rod, the ring of light expanding to swallow him into the center like a summoner's circle. Black slacks were replaced by black tights tucked into dark blue boots with silver buckles, the metal glinting brightly. His white shirt was exchanged for a black tunic, held at the waist by a silver belt embossed with feathers all around, The belt had two sheaths that contained two silver daggers hidden for close combat, the handles engraved and moulded into a wing shape. On top of his clothes, a midnight blue robe sat comfortably like it was made for him, the edges of the fabric embroidered with silver runes while the rest of the robe glimmered with magic. Faint outlines of feathers littered the soft fabric and a pair of wings shimmered on the back like the indication of a man that was secretly the angel walking amongst humans. His hair had turned platinum blond and eyes sparkled like sapphires under the wide rim of his wizard's hat. The dark blue of the hat matched his robes and silver belt clasped around the bottom to hold it in place. Like the robes, the rim of the hat had silver runes embroidered into the fabric while the pointed area had the outlines of feathers on it. The metal rod in his hands grew cold before runes and feathers started to appear from the bottom, the metal becoming embossed with the images right up to the top, the images of angels circled around the base where a dark blue crystal shined bright with a mysterious light.

 

"Congratulations, Sorcerer. Please step forward to choose your username."

 

Joonmyeon stepped forward into the white doorway that opened in front of him. A holographic keyboard appeared and allowed him to type in his preferred username. Suho. A second doorway opened in front of him, and a white arch of light shining brightly as soon as he hit enter. He took a step forward, then another, towards the light before it swallowed him, engulfing him and caressing him with a warm fuzzy feeling before it all faded into a blurry scene. The outlines of buildings barely visible before the ground shook slightly, and the cobblestones appearing under his feet and spreading outwards like the shockwaves of an earthquake. European houses seemingly grew up from the ground, wooden beams interlocking into shapes before they were filled in by panelling and glass. Within seconds, a small European town had appeared around the man. Followed by the other players who appeared their usernames floating above their heads in white and bobbing along as they ran towards their destinations.

 

There was a cheer from his right and Suho turned his head to see his team waving at him. Luhan even having the guts to wolf whistle and wink at him as he walked over. As usual, their usernames were the ones they had kept in all the games in which they had encountered each other before. Luhan was always Bambi, a play on how his fans commented on how much he looks like a cute deer. Jongdae had picked Chen, it was a nickname given to him by one of his first gaming friends. Kris had picked his name thinking that fans wouldn't know he played online games, but his fans knew anyway. Jongin's choice was never elaborated, and perhaps he chose Kai because it was derived from a Roman Emperor002E Chen bounced over, grinning widely as he pointed to an old man that stood nearby.

 

"You wanna party up and finish the tutorial quicker? Kai said he would lead this time ‘cause he needs to get used to the Warrior gear."

 

Suho nodded, smiling as a holographic window popped up in front of him. Kai would like you to join his party. Suho reached up and hit the green tick, confirming his joining and a list popped up in the top left corner of his eyesight, the health and magic bars of his team members appearing underneath his own. All were level 1, a tad bit inexperienced compared to their other games but knew they had to start from the bottom like everyone else.

 

"Let's go find us some Baby Hobgoblins!"

 

Kai pumped his fist into the air, accepting the quest that popped up after his talk with the old man. For all players in the team, a little arrow pointed them to the area that had the goblins, and soon the party was setting out to obtain their 16 level-ups that was included as part of the tutorial.

 

* * *

 

There were flurries of movement, sparks flying as metal hit metal, the sound ringing in everyone's ears. There was a hiss as a large armoured lizard jumped back, dodging another swing of a sword by the warrior in red and gold. There was a shadow behind the creature, and the lizard’s red eyes flashed before it let out a pained whine, falling forward onto the ground with a thud. The body fading away to leave behind small leather pouches of coins. With a grunt of approval, Kris slipped his daggers back into their sheaths, walking over to where the others were gathered, picking up their share of the loot and replying to the fist Kai held out towards him. They only had to find six Medusa spawnlings to finish the tutorial, all of them with half their EXP bar filled. Most of them needed less than half the bar filled before they reach level 16, only after that can the workers in the company boost their levels so they are able to continue their real mission.

 

"According to the map, the Medusa spawnlings should be just over this hill."

 

Chen pointed to a small hill to their left, the grass was illuminated by the bright sun in a way that seemed inviting and congratulatory for making it through the long and gruelling tutorial. Bambi ran forward, staff twirling over the heads of his comrades. A shimmering light descended over everyone and their HP gauge filled up once more, their fatigue disappearing. Kris nimbly picked up all the treasures and coin sacks, each team member receiving a share of the loot. Kai pouted when he checked the contents of the mystery box he had been given.

 

"Hey, how come I get Hunter's armor?"

 

"Kai! I got a Warrior's shield, do you want to trade?" Chen piqued up from the back of the team.

 

There was cheering as everyone opened their mystery boxes, checking the armor before asking for trades with a person in that class. Once they finished trading and equipping their new armor, the five men trudged up the hill. Ahead of them laid a beautiful yet deadly sight. There were sheer cliffs rising up on the right side, eroded by the waterfalls that fell from somewhere above their heads. The cool mist of the water was blown in their direction, the tiny droplets refreshing them as they stood at the top of the hill. Below them, the water filled a shallow rock pool, the water glistening a shimmering blue before running out towards the mangroves that grew to the left. Excluding the monsters that lurked in the pools, the scene would have been something from a dream. Kai and Bambi looked down at the water and grimaced, their face showing clear displeasure at the sight of the monsters there.

 

The Medusa spawnlings were smaller than an average teenage girl, with the tail of a snake instead of legs. Their top half were the bodies of young women, their faces set in a permanent scowl that would have rivalled Kris's (if they didn't know he had a love for plush toys and moved like a noodle in real life, they would be scared of him too but unfortunately for him they know now). As if their faces, with golden eyes and all, didn't freak them out already, the hair on their heads were long snakes, each with their own heads that hissed and occasionally fought each other even though they share the same woman's head. The spawnlings themselves varied in color—there were blue, green and even a shade of purple. Chen turned to look at his teammates, as if asking who would be the first to charge down there. Suho frowned, trying to remember the notes they had taken that involved the strengths and weaknesses of each species. Bambi clapped his hand, his face lighting up in realization as he pointed.

 

"Light and reflection!"

 

As if that cleared the minds of the other teammates, everyone rushed forward towards the spawnlings who sat unawares of their approach. Bambi jabbed his staff towards the creatures that turn their heads to look at who or what was making the charging cry. A bright white light shined forth and blinded them momentarily but long enough for the other members to descend on them like serial killers.

 

Kai was the first to reach them, his sword making a quick slice through the neck and the spawnling collapsed into the water, pixels fading and leaving the loot. Instead of snatching them, he continued and moved to fight the next. Kris used his shadow skill, hiding himself in the spawnling shadows and attacking their softer and more vulnerable underbellies, his daggers digging into the soft scales before he swept himself away into a new hiding spot. Bambi kept the light shining, pointing them at recovering spawnlings to continue blinding them, in his defense, Chen would attack instead. The archer stood next to the mage and used his bow to shoot amazingly accurate arrows at the Medusa spawns, each one hitting right where their hearts should be. Seeing his comrades so passionate, Suho rushed in to join the fight, his staff swirling as he swept the remaining spawns into a heap and casted a stronger spell that he had learnt in his last level up. There was a roar and a flame appeared over the water, enveloping the shrieking spawnlings before they crumpled, using the last of their energy to try and crawl towards the sorcerer who was muttering the incantation to eradicate them.

 

With a final scream, they faded from sight and the men sighed, slumping down and starting towards the loot. Once again, mysterious chests held random pieces of armor and they walked to the top of the hill before going about their exchanges. Suho turned to Bambi, the one who worked best with maps, tilting his head slightly.

 

"Bambi, who do we have to meet to complete this quest so we finish the tutorial?"

 

"According to the quest info, we have to give the Medusa fangs to someone named Yunho at the East God's Inn at the next town... which is this way."

 

Bambi pointed, following the green arrow that appeared in his vision, footsteps hurrying along as he lead the team through the dense undergrowth of the forest. It was true there was a path that people would take but they wanted to end quickly so they could start their investigations. Occasionally there was a flaily movement from one of them, arms waving around as they ran into spider webs or someone groaning as their foot squelched into something soft and gooey. There was no wonder why the game was one of the top grossing games, the graphics were superb and the way they adapted the senses to the game was mind-boggling, everything felt so real.

 

It wasn't long before the men tumbled out of the forest, clothes a little stained and twigs in their hair. The town was quite large, larger than the one where they had started out from. Still following the arrow, Bambi maneuvered them through the streets, packed with vendors and merchants, tables lined with goods from all over, some with exquisite details and designs. They had just passed a man selling shiny silver archers gear when Bambi stopped, turning right to face a large wooden door. The sign above swung in the gentle breeze, the golden words "East God's Inn" glimmering in the sunlight. There was loud and raucous laughter from inside, paired with clinking cups and cheerful music. With a sigh, Chen stepped forward, hand on the door handle before pushing inside. The sounds and smell of alcohol hit them in the face with the force of a hurricane, the lights were bright and the men were cackling as their cups clinked back and forth. They could see that most of the people there were actually NPCs and only a few were actual players. The green names of players were huddled around a tall man, handsome and dressed in aristocratic clothes. The group approached the man, getting close enough to match the name to the quest, Yunho.

 

Kai, being the leader of the team, stepped forward, holding out the bag containing the Medusa fangs, hoping that the quest was completed after the handover. Yunho tugged open the drawstrings of the bag, peeking inside and looking up at the group who waited anxiously on each of his words.

"This... is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you, please accept these rewards as a token of my appreciation."

 

There was a bright light, a circle forming on the ground before there was a flash, a golden chest appearing in front of them. They each reached to open it, their hands pushing open the lid to peer inside. There laid pieces of armor, all of various sizes and for different classes, the armor they had chosen at the beginning of the game. Cheering and whooping, they changed into their new outfits, their hair automatically being cleaned as they slipped on their assorted headgear. Once comfortable, they moved to a spare table, sitting down as they finally relaxed after their endless fighting to finish the tutorial. Kai was knocked out cold, resting his arms on the table and sleeping with his mouth open, drooling a bit from the corner of his mouth. Chen and Kris started to complain about hunger and Bambi was already rummaging through his bag in search of something he had misplaced. A shadow fell across the table and Suho turned his head to look up at the man standing beside their table, light from behind him making it hard to see him completely.

 

"Hi there! Congratulations on completing the tutorial! It's a tough process but at least it helps everyone get acquainted with their weapons and stuff. Since you all look deadbeat, I thought I'd shout you guys a round of drinks and some food!"

 

He shifted out from the light, some workers shuffling forward to place plates of delicious smelling food on their table, the man pulling up a chair and sitting on it backwards and smiling like a kid. He had on black armor, shiny and polished to the point that Suho could see his face reflected there. The headgear covered half his face, a hooked beak-like feature covering his nose, leaving only the thick lips of his mouth visible with the smooth skin of his chin. The rest of the helmet was slicked back like the helmet Lelouch had worn in the Code Geass series when he dressed up as Zero, the back tapering to a dangerous point. The shoulder guards for his armor matched his helmet, the sharp edges making his small body seem much larger. The rest of his armor pieces looked lightweight but strong, the metal glinting in the light whenever he moved. Chain mail could be seen under the gear, the gaps between the individual pieces of metal on his fingers parting to reveal the extra precaution underneath.

 

The metal that covered his hands also tapered to sharp points, looking like the claws of a dragon rather than metal gloves like Kai's. His feet were protected by the same metal, each piece fitting over some thick-soled boots to help ease the pain when walking long distances. On his hip, he wore three sorts of swords, a long sword, a rapier and a short sword, each with their own different designs, with handles made of dark brown or black leather and hilts made of silver or gold and embedded with precious stones. On his back, he had a broadsword strapped there, the sheath itself so big that he had to wear it there instead of on his side. It looked heavy, a proper two-handed weapon, made completely of the black metal that was the same as his armor. The hilt had red stones embedded as the eyes of two wolves rising from the handle, the detailing so fine that Bambi scrambled out of his chair to take a closer look. The stranger chuckled and held out his hand to Suho, lips pulled back in a small grin.

 

"Nice to meet you. You can call me D.O."

 

 

* * *

**Author's Note:** Please feel free to contact me via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/m_prexs) or [Ask.fm]() if you have any questions about the story so far or you just want to talk! I promise I won't try to bite you :O

 

 


	3. Golden Hunter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The appearance of a warrior in gold? Who is he and is he friend or foe?
> 
> Special Note: This chapter may be un-beta'd, it will be fixed as soon as possible.
> 
> (One chapter posted each day until the end of [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/), on August 2nd)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Appreciation Note:**  
>  Thank you so, so much to the mods who kind of kicked me through all this, I'm finally there! Almost at the end! ヾ(。◕ฺ∀◕ฺ)ノ 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to my beta, [Emily](http://theforgettable.livejournal.com/), who patiently sat through my procrastination and got my chapters back to me before time. I owe you so much ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡
> 
> For everyone who wants to read other EXO long fics, please head to [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/) to read all the other amazing stories!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:**  
>  Many of the ideas in this fic was inspired by the anime Sword Art Online and my online experience in MMORPGs. I do not own the stories in them, only the idea that stemmed from it.
> 
> I also, do not own or am affiliated to any EXO member, the members are owned by themselves and their copyright remains with SM (or other company). I am only using them in this fic as entertainment and does not reflect them, at any point, in real life.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Golden Hunter**

 

 

Candlelight casted shadows on the walls, flickering light wavering as people passed by, the wind from their movements sending the flames into frenzied dance to stay lit. At a table in the corner, emptied plates littered the tables, remnants of sauce the only indication of the food that was demolished. Five men sat around the table with hands on their stomachs, rubbing and grinning widely, the sixth man crossed his legs and a teasing grin appeared on his lips. Black armour glinted in the flickering light as he shifted, chainmail clinking as he stood.

 

“Alright, since you guys are new, do you want me to show you around? There’s some pretty good stores around here that would sell you good weapons and armour if you have a good amount of quid on you.”

 

The warrior nodded his head like he was telling them good secrets, pretending to glance around to see if there was anyone listening in on their conversation. There was static in their ears for a second before it cleared, the voices of Zitao and Minseok coming through the line.

“It might be good for you to choose your own armour and weapons so that you are able to test it before buying it. We’ll boost your levels up to the highest and add in quid for each of your characters.” Minseok was speaking softly, probably not used to using the system like the usual gamers. There was a scuffle before a sharper voice pierced their ears, tough and to the point.

 

“Just squeeze as much information from him as you can but don’t tell him anything about your mission.”

 

Joonmyeon moved his head to make it look like he was thinking about the offer, a small smile not giving away anything that might be going on. Once given the go, Luhan jumped up from his seat, whooping and bouncing over to D.O who gave a small smile underneath his helmet, Jongin and Yifan following and wrapping their arms around the other man’s shoulders like a happy group of drunkards. Jongdae and Joonmyeon followed behind them as they tripped their way out the building, laughing merrily like they had been friends all their lives.

 

Buying armour was spent longest as they tried on various sets, testing the weight and getting it custom-fitted, Jongin holding onto D.O’s arm as he doubled over laughing when Luhan had accidentally tried on women’s armour instead. In the end, their infinite amount of quid getting them the best armour and weapons set for their levels which have been boosted to 60 from their previous 16. Jongin had opted for a lighter sword rather than the heavier two-handed swords and axes that lined the shop wall, his armor was now bright silver with black accents along the edges and the interior that blended into the new black chainmail that protected the gaps between the metal pieces. Jongdae had chosen a mottled blue tunic with reinforced armour plates that protected his vulnerable areas while not limiting his arm movement to allow him maximum shooting range. Yifan chose to stay with his original gear, only upgrading it to the highest stats, choosing for himself a new set of daggers that seemed to glow red in the flickering light, attracting the attention of Luhan who was hovering nearby in his glittering white robes, casting speckles of light on his surroundings whenever he moved, mimicking the stars in the sky (“Like a disco ball” Jongdae had commented when he first saw it). Joonmyeon remained by the weapons counter, testing the weight of various staffs before twirling a black one around, the orb on the head of it glowing a mysterious gold, matching the accents of his new red robes and hat.

 

D.O stood by, watching with interest as the group of men paid for their purchases, suddenly very strong and very wealthy, able to buy and equip the best gear. His head tilted slightly in thought, his feet clacking gently on the stone floor as he approached the easiest members of the party. Jongin and Luhan were always playing around, picking on each other and teasing about the smallest, most comical things. Gently looping his arms around the two, D.O grinned playfully, a lilt to his voice as he played off the fact he was teasing them.

 

“Well, well. Look at you guys, quid flowing and wearing the highest gear! Did I mistakenly treated veteran players as newbies?”

 

He shook their shoulders, their faces breaking out into a grin. Luhan raised his hand, index finger pointed as if he was about to state something when the door of the shop opened, the bell about it jingling furiously at the force of the entrance. A tall man walked in, clad in gleaming golden armour with the biggest, most decorated broadsword on his hip. He stepped forward with strong steps, the heavy footfalls echoing in the small room and a gauntlet covered hand reached to his helmet, making out to lift his visor but instead tugging off the whole headpiece with a flourish. Golden hair, almost white, fell into place atop his head, framing a long and handsome face. Everyone in the shop had just stared, his bored eyes scanning them all before the unamused face turned to the shopkeeper.

 

“I didn’t know you sell to peasants now, but I guess I can’t be picky in this poor city. You are one of the finest armour makers in the whole of The World.”

 

His voice drawled, like he was tired and unimpressed by the party of men. With a roll of his eyes, he pushed his way to the front of the line and dropped a bag on the bench, the clinking of coins signalling a heavy amount, his bow and his daggers.

 

“I need these to be reinforced to the highest strength,” When asked for his reasoning, the man just smirked and tapped his foot. “I’m going to find that wolf and end that sonofabitch.”

 

Without saying anything more, the man stood up straight from his previous slouched posture against the bench, tossing his head back and flicking his hair out of his eyes like those men in shampoo commercials.

 

“I’ll be back to pick them up in two hours.”

 

Joonmyeon blinked, glancing quickly at Yifan to see if he had heard it too. The obnoxious man had mentioned a wolf and by the looks of things, he probably had a history with it. So before the man could leave the shop, Joonmyeon stepped forward, his hand reaching to grab the man’s upper arm and tugging him back. The blond turned and gave the sorcerer a disgusted look, eyeing him up and down before yanking his arm out of Joonmyeon grasp.

 

“How dare you touch me, you lowlife? What makes you, a simpleton, think that you could touch me, se_hunter94?”

 

Joonmyeon seemingly stepped back, using his foot as an anchor was he faced the hunter’s fury. He had to look up to the man, his short stature not helping his fierce expression.

 

“You mentioned a wolf, are you talking about the black wolf? Where was it seen?”

 

The hunter sneered, lips drawn into a mocking smile as he crossed his arms, tilting his head so he was looking down at the sorcerer. At that moment, Yifan and Jongin stepped forward, standing on either side of Joonmyeon, drawn up to their full height and towering over the blond male. Sehunter took a glance at the other two before narrowing his eyes, letting out a sound of disgust.

 

“Tch. Yeah, it’s the black wolf, got a problem with that?” He glanced to the side with a bratty sigh. “There’s rumours all over the place, the last time I saw it was at the Fields. That’s all I’m going to tell you, peasants.”

 

With a shrill sound of distress, the man stalked out of the door, slamming it to show how much he seemed to hate telling his information to the group of men in the shop. Joonmyeon turned to the others, their eyes reflecting a fire that he knew burned in his, the fields would be their first investigation area. D.O glanced at the men, tilting his head slightly before piquing up with a soft voice.

 

“Are you guys… hunting the wolf too? I-I would like to be able to help you, I can show you the places!”

 

The small man nodded his head eagerly, seemingly not wanting to be left behind, his fingers interlinked with Luhan’s in a desperate attempt at staying with their party. Luhan’s eyes were wide, begging his teammates to let the man join them on their mission.

 

“Well, I guess it would be nice to have someone who’s been playing the game longer than we have to show us around and give tips.”

 

“Yay!”

 

D.O threw up his arms into the air, Luhan, Jongdae and Jongin dancing around with him like a circle of celebration that brought a smile to Joonmyeon and Yifan’s faces. With a final bow to the shopkeeper, they exited the building and headed towards the potions master who would be able to stock them with HP and MP concoctions for their quest. After stowing away the bottles of red and blue, they split off to look for merchants they could sell their extra loot, their old armour and weapons, opening up more space in their inventory. An hour later, they regrouped at the inn where they finished their tutorial, the same one they met D.O. The first to arrive was Joonmyeon who dragged his feet to the corner tables before falling onto the soft cushions of the couch-lined walls. He stayed like that for a good ten minutes before there was something nudging at his leg, something cold and hard.

 

“Hey, hey. Did someone mug him and kill him? It’s possible here you know.”

 

It was a familiar voice, smooth, melodic, and Joonmyeon kicked his usually good memory and sighed, where had he heard that voice before? There was a laugh and a body landed on top of him, the sorcerer letting out a pained sound as the warrior nuzzled into his back.

 

“Hyung, you’re so comfy…”

 

Joonmyeon had no idea why the boy was always so sleepy, being able to drift off anytime and anywhere, Jongin’s eyes always drooping and every time the older man turned to look at him, he had his mouth open in a yawn. Yifan slid into place next to his head, silent and brooding, red eyes looking down at Joonmyeon with a mix of pity and mirth reflected in those irises. Draping himself on Yifan was Luhan who whined about how far the market was for the clerics compared to everyone else’s. Right next to him was D.O, who had taken it upon himself to argue animatedly with Jongdae about raising weapon and armour stats. The hub bub of murmurs faded into silence as the innkeeper and his wife brought over plates of fish and chips and pints of juice, the team looking around to see who was responsible for ordering food.

 

“Oh, sorry everyone. I thought that talking when we have food would make the mood lighter, so it’s easier to discuss the plans. I can explain the plan and the layout of the dungeon that leads to the Fields of Desolation, I’m assuming it is because Sehunter mentioned ‘fields’ and that’s the only one that’s open to high level players.”

 

At the mention of food, Jongin sat up like a zombie rising out of its grave, straight up and blank faced. He shoved a chip into his mouth, followed by another, sitting straight and chowing down his food like the apocalypse was approaching. It gave Joonmyeon a moment to sit up, brushing out the folds in his clothes before facing the rest of the party members who ate hungrily but was attentive as D.O started to speak.

 

“There are four levels in this dungeon, three waves of enemies and the final boss before the doors open for us to enter the Fields.” D.O opened up his menu with a wave of his hand, flicking his finger to bring open a 3D holographic map of the dungeon. “The entrance is through this tree line, there’s a path that winds through, each clearing has one wave of enemies.”

 

His fingers pull and pinch the map to show them the way through, pointing to the open clearings where the mobs of enemies would ambush them if they weren’t careful. Jongdae watched the map in awe, Luhan’s eyes drifting from the map to D.O’s face while Yifan squinted at it, as if committing the details to memory. Joonmyeon was nodding his head at the warrior as he spoke, making notes of the stages as well as what sort of enemies they could expect. Jongin was sitting there, rubbing his stomach and resting his head on the sorcerer’s shoulder, yawning like a tired puppy.

 

“We would obviously need an attack formation, but I need all of your skills so that I can make battle plans. The best attacks to follow each other and the best support for when the enemies attack.” D.O smiled, tilting his head so his helmet glinted in the light. “The best formation is always the warriors and tanks at the front, followed by the ranged attacks and then the support members right at the back so that they could focus on healing the other team members at the front. Therefore, Kai and I will be at the front, attacking at openings and distracting when the other members need to recuperate their HP and MP. Chen and Kris will be in the middle area, and Suho and Bambi at the back where they can be safe from attacks since your defences are less than ours. If there isn’t any need to heal, you two can also attack if you see any openings, but also keep your MP close to maximum, we don’t want you guys running out at a critical moment.”

 

The warrior in black scrolled through the map to the opening on the other side of the final boss stage, zooming through to reveal a wide open field filled with tall grass that went above heads, the path from the entrance meeting five others at a central point where a large tree towered over the area, casting the whole area into a dark shadow that made it all the more eerie.

 

“I’ll send you all the map so that everyone will have a copy. Let’s head out as soon as we can then? Unless you guys have something else to do?”

 

“D.O, are you sure you don’t want to join our party? It would make it easier to tell if you need help.”

 

D.O’s thick lips pulled into a smile, seemingly shy as he shook his head.

 

“No, no. I don’t want to intrude. If I’m low on HP I’ll shout it out to you guys, yeah?”

 

He seemed so determined not to join, perhaps he wanted to feel like he was in a party but still be independently strengthening himself. His courage was cute and the whole team cooed softly, Luhan letting out a soft squeal and hugging the warrior. D.O made a sound of distress, arms pinned to his side and he only managed to shakily bring out the menu and press a few buttons, flicking something at each of them before they all got a message on the screen. ‘Dungeon Map: Fields of Desolation’. With a glance at each other, they all nodded and broke apart, stretching out their kinks and thanking D.O for the food once again, the party departing out of the inn and towards the entrance to the first dungeon.

 

* * *

 

 

The tree line was still, shadows hiding the mystery behind its veil and the brown trunks bore scratch marks that were the only indication of the wild beasts that might be lurking there, waiting to ambush anyone who dares try to challenge the dungeon.

 

The six men lined up with determination, armour and weapons glinting in the sunlight. With war cries, they ran at the entrance, the environment fading into white around them and they were transported into a dark and gloomy forest. The sunlight barely cut through the canopy, casting a mottled light on the surroundings. Hurried footsteps echoed into the trees and the clanking of metal screeched into the darkness as the men ran through the winding path of the forest. There were screeches and armoured lizard-men jumped out from behind the trees, the men skidding to a halt as the lizards uttered a war cry.

 

“Into formation!”

 

D.O ran to the front, pointing his sword at the lizards in his attack stance, motion for the others to move into position just like they had discussed back at the inn. Joonmyeon and Luhan shuffled backwards, their staffs already waving and casting spells of protection and stamina. Yifan and Jongdae dashed to the middle, readying their throwing knives and arrows as Jongin zoomed past them to take his spot next to D.O. Seeing their readiness, the lizard-men charged at them, swords raised and mouths open to release shrill screams.

 

Jongin dodged to the side, the lizard’s sword coming down at the spot he was at merely a few seconds earlier, his own sword swinging around and slicing through the hard scales of the creature’s midsection. It croaked softly before it shattered into pixels, leaving behind a small, decorated chest. On the other side, D.O had hopped back from the first attack, using his foot to lodge the heavy sword of the lizard in the ground before using it as a boost, his sword slicing straight down the middle. As the second lizard-man scattered into spots of glittering pixels, two more came out from behind. They barely had any chance to attack, there was a flash of black before there was a dagger lodged in the chest of the one on the left, its body flailing as it started to disintegrate. Yifan jumped back as a volley of arrows flew over his head and thudded into the thick scales of the second lizard, making it look like a weird porcupine as it stumbled and fell against its partner, the two exploding into red particles.

 

White screens opened up in front of each of them, differing items appearing as they opened the chests dropped by the creatures they had just defeated. Most contained large amounts of coins and some had rare gear while others had crafting materials that would help enhance their weapons and armour. Nodding at each other after their looting, they stayed in formation and hurriedly dashed towards he next area, the cries of more lizard-men bringing smirks to their lips.

 

Two waves of lizards later, the team was panting as they sat on the ground for a rest, looking over as bright lights flashed around them in swirling cyclones of rainbows, little flowers of light blooming around them as their energy returned and their HP gauges refilling on their user interface. Luhan smiled as they all stood up, brushing off the dirt as they prepared themselves to meet the boss of the dungeon.

 

“Alright guys, the boss is a large guy, he has a few attacks up his sleeve.” D.O gathered them around in front of the gate that lead to the final room. “For the first half of his HP bar, he’s going to mainly attack the frontline, watch his movements and dodge. His weak point is the back of his head where there’s a crystal that is shielded by a barrier. The more hits we land there, the weaker the barrier will get and once it’s gone, it will only take one critical hit to send him down. But the only problem is that once that barrier’s gone, his HP gauge will be at halfway and his attacks will rapidly change. Instead of attacking the front people, he’ll look for the support team and aim for them, he’ll send out bomb minions to attack the distant team. Once they run into his range, he’s going to attack with a ranged slice attack. It’s particularly strong and has lasting effects of up to 500 HP per second damage for 10 seconds.”

 

The team listened intently, eyes widening at the facts that were given to them. The dungeon boss seemed like a tough foe, they hoped that at they would all be able to work together like before to fight the creature. With solemn nods of their heads, they all put a hand each onto the door and pushed, the light inside blinding them for a moment before there was a roar. Inside was one of the ugliest trolls ever seen in any online game, it was over two storeys tall, with small squinting eyes that seemed to glow with murderous intent. Its long arms hanging besides its body, thick fingers wrapped around a large axe, the blade glinting in the light, sharp jagged edges gleaming red, stained with the amount of blood it has been doused in. It’s face was set on a small head, with a bulbous nose and jutting lower jaw, sharp canines peeking over its top lip like that of a boar. Most of them made faces if disgust, how could designers even think up something so horrifying for this game?

 

They each took their positions, the main attack group jumping down to the ground below where the troll was situated, the magic and support standing atop the ledge and casting buffs to heal and boost their teammates. The troll took a moment and stared at them, all ready and about to attack, blinking slowly as its tiny brain finally processed that it had challengers, its lips parting in a loud and mighty roar. The troll raised its axe, heavy footfalls thundering through the room as it stomped its way towards the team. Jongin was first to move, dodging his way to the right, distracting the troll for an instance, giving the other three a chance to make their move. Yifan aimed for its weak points, joints and ankles that would hinder its progress so that the others could advance. D.O’s sword glowed blue as he charged up his attack, running in a curve, dust billowing behind him as he sped up. With the grace of a swan and the speed of a cheetah, he dug his right foot into the ground and launched himself up at the troll, sword swinging and leaving lines of red pixels on the giant, its HP bar draining with each hit.

 

The troll staggered back with a loud whimper, clutching at its wounds as the pixels of red floated around the areas, glitching like a reminder that it’s been hurt. As it turned to look at them with death in its eyes, a volley of arrows flew towards its face, exploding on impact and blinding the giant with a thick cloud of smoke. Just as it spun around, D.O landed back down on the ground after his attacks, Jongin dashing forward and using him as a boost, hopping up and slashing at the stone on the back of the troll’s neck. Feeling the pain, the creature swiped at its nape, brushing past Jongin and sending him flying off to the side. Seeing the predicament, Luhan quickly casted a spell and shot a net of vines that caught the other and gently lowered him to the ground. Jongin waved a thank you, running back to join the attack team as he felt a rejuvenating feeling spread through him as waves of green light billowed around him, his HP gauge refilling quickly. With its HP bar under the halfway mark, the troll roared once more, raising the heavy axe and swinging it, the sharp blade starting to become red as its eyes focused on the two men on the ledge.

 

Luhan and Joonmyeon noticed the sudden change in the troll’s movement, their eyes widening as a swirling mass of red flew at them, flames flashing through the giant ball. With a yell, they jumped off the ledge, the explosion of the ball sending them flying from the impact. Joonmyeon managed to conjure up a cloud to catch him, cushioning his fall against the ground before it dissipated, allowing him to slide down and stand on his feet. Luhan wasn’t so lucky, his fall wasn’t as graceful and halfway down, he had hit his arm and his staff was flung from his grasp. The others watched as he fell, unable to help, too far to reach him in time. It was about five meters from the ground that a black shadow launched itself from the wall, using a ledge to swing himself over to where Luhan was falling. The two became a sprawling heap, Luhan unharmed and D.O underneath and cushioning his fall.

 

“Bambi, are you alright?”

 

Luhan raised himself up on his arms, his cheeks a bright red as he blinked down at the man that saved him from the fall. He barely stuttered a shy ‘thank you’ before there was a crash near them, the ledge giving way and bringing the troll down with it. It screamed as it fell to the floor, a billowing cloud of dust almost blowing them away. The team covered their eyes, preventing dust from reducing their sight, not wanting the disadvantage in fighting the boss. When the cloud cleared, they looked over to find the troll getting to its feet, its HP bar in the red and its eyes wide, as if extremely angry at the team for almost beating it. Without wasting a second, the troll let out a blood-curdling yell, axe raised above its head as it charged.

 

“Everyone! Team attack, just like we planned!”

 

D.O shouted, waving his arms as he motioned for them to gather into their practiced team attack. Joonmyeon and Luhan ran forward, splitting to the side and conjuring up elemental attacks that provided constant damage. Just as the troll turned to them, Yifan used his speed and agility boost to dash forward, using a special spinning attack that made him look like a cyclone, slashing line after line of wounds in the troll’s legs. With the high number of cuts on its shins, the troll stumbled and fell forward, the muscles in its legs damaged. Jongdae appeared right behind Yifan, jumping up and digging a dagger into the troll’s arm, the limb going limp and the axe falling to the ground with a heavy thump. The HP gauge was almost empty, the boss falling forward onto the ground and out of the dust, D.O jumped up and stabbed his sword directly into the jewel on its neck. Even with that onslaught, the troll was not done, it started to push itself up using its free arm, growling deeply like a predator in the midst of prey.

 

“Kris! Boost me!”

 

Jongin shouted, running forward with his sword gripped tightly in his hands. Yifan was quick to react, crouching down and placing his hands together, preparing to lift Jongin up. The warrior used his running start, dashing forward and placing his right foot on the assassin’s hands, the taller quickly bringing his hands up and pushing the warrior into the air. Jongin somersaulted in the air, gripping onto the ceiling of the room before pushing himself off, aiming for the sword that was still lodged in the gem. Using the force of his legs and the pull of gravity, the warrior manoeuvred himself so that his legs were under him, the speed and force making him land like a bullet on the sword. With the final impact, the troll yelled loudly, a sickening scream of defeat before his limbs went limp and the body shattered into glittering pixels. There was a victory fanfare before windows appeared in their user interface, a message of congratulations and a heavily decorated chest notifying them of their success. The door appeared behind them with a flourish, bright lights and flower petals signifying what a great feat they have achieved.

 

With a loud whoop, Jongin and Jongdae ran towards the doors with excitement, punching the air and almost skipping towards the door. With one hand on each handle, they opened the door to the Fields of Desolation. The heavy wooden boards opened with a heave, the light outside dim and the sounds of crickets filled the air. Tall grass lined a one-person path, the blades towering over their heads, reaching up to the skyline above that was blocked by the wide stretch of branches from the Tree of Life in the middle of the area.

 

“Why is it called the Tree of Life anyway?” Luhan’s eyes were wide, looking like an adorable deer as he whispered in the quiet forest of grass.

 

“The legends say that there was once a group of adventurers that discovered this field, they ran into a huge storm of killer wasps that rained attacks down on them. They spotted a small cave in the middle of the field and dived for it, one of them stayed behind, placing himself over the others so that he could protect them. He died there and they laid him to rest in the cave where suddenly the Tree of Life sprang up. They say that the Gods saw his sacrifice and gave him a new life, as the Tree to shield the people below from the wasps above. He became the Tree that shields life, the one and only Tree of Life.”

 

The men stared up at the thick branches of the tree that extended to the outer edges of the field, silently thanking it for protecting them from the deadly air attacks from the wasps that could be heard buzzing overhead. With a sigh, Joonmyeon turned to the group, motioning for them to listen to him.

 

“I think it would be best for us to stick together. The grass is high and the area is wide. Stick to the path and shout if we hear or see something suspicious—“

 

“But hyungggg, it’ll take too long and it’s getting dark!” Jongdae pouted at the older man, looking rather cute in his attire, making him seem like an angry elf.

 

“Chen is right.” D.O interjected when Joonmyeon opened his mouth to dismiss the idea. “It would be best to avoid being caught in the dark, there are more unknown beasts that roam in the night than we would like. Perhaps we should split up and take one area to ourselves and work our way towards the Tree?”

 

The other four members nodded in agreement, it sounded like a solid plan in the face of the slowly setting sun. Joonmyeon knew he couldn’t say no now that everyone else had agreed on it, just sighing and nodding as they each spilt off into their areas. There was a slight static before a little phone symbol appeared on their user interface, the call connecting the team together as they spoke of their positions and what they each saw.

 

Joonmyeon found nothing of importance in his section of the field, just lots of tall grass and the chirping of crickets. He was much closer to the tree than the other members judging by their markers on his map, asking if they had found something of significance to make them slow down but there was only the sound of Jongin hacking at the grass and Yifan struggling to weave through the blades despite his evasive skills. Suddenly there was a whirring sound, like the sound of a blade cutting through the air, something glinting to his left and Joonmyeon dived out of the way. There was a slicing sound and he felt the blades of grass fall on top of him as he sat up to see who or what had just attacked him.

 

There, in all his glory, golden armor glinting in the light, was se_hunter94, with his sword drawn and ready for the next attack. Upon seeing who was on the other side, the tall blond let his sword fall back to his side with a sound of annoyance.

 

"Tch, it’s only you. What are you doing here? I'm the only one who's supposed to be here to find that wolf."

 

He took a step back, allowing the sorcerer to pick himself up before turning his back and walking briskly into the dense grass once more. Joonmyeon looked up at the giant, rising trunk of the Tree frowning when there was static in his ears. He quickly checked the connection of their call line, the little white phone flickering before it was cut abruptly. Something was wrong, there was a chill down his spine as he looked around the field, eyes trying to focus on any sign of movement from the grass. There was nothing, just the endless rows of grass and the slowly creeping darkness that was chasing away the light of the sun. Deep rumbles of growls could be heard from the inky blackness, golden eyes reflecting the light. Joonmyeon did one thing that came to mind, he yelled. He called out for the members of his team, urging them to group at the tree and climb its branches before the creatures arrived.

 

Jongdae arrived first, sprinting as fast as he could and flinging himself onto the first branch, not even stopping to say hello to his teammate until he was high enough to feel safe. Yifan and Luhan arrived next, both of them helping each other climb into the safety of the tree before helping Joonmyeon look for the two remaining people. There was a shout, the voice muffled but clearly was D.O's before sounds of a scuffle could be heard. Jongin's voice could be heard adding to the throng before there was a scream, the crashing of metal to the ground signifying someone falling. Joonmyeon's eyes flickered to the sudden change in his user interface, Jongin's icon becoming a big red cross and the border around his name had gone grey. Hurried footfalls signalled someone arriving and a figure stumbled out of the tall grass and into the sorcerer's arms. It was D.O and in his hands he held what looked like part of Jongin's helmet. The warrior himself looked like he was badly beaten, with red pixel cuts all over his body.

 

"I-I was attacked first and he came over to help me. He lost the fight, it's all my fault."

 

D.O clung to the helmet with a whimper, the growls growing louder and closer to them while the other members called out for them to climb up into the tree. It took some convincing but soon both, D.O and Joonmyeon were running for the trunk, darkness right on their heel. It took all of the warrior's strength to climb up, Jongin's helmet clutched tightly in his hands. Around the base of the tree circled a group of the weirdest creatures, they were half wolf, half lion, possibly the worst combination of chimera they had ever seen, the front half of a wolf growling up at them while a long tail protruded from the back half of a lion's body.

 

* * *

 

 

In the room, Minseok and Zitao were standing by, watching the team intently before their connection was severed. Grey static filled the screens the same time as when the call was dropped in the game, the two looking at each other before shouting at the management team to try every possible way to get the connection back up and running. The employees were frantic as the sounds of slamming keyboards filled the room, fingers flying across the keys. Nothing seemed to work and Minseok turned to Zitao with a solemn expression.

In one of the pods, the monitor started to beep, flashing red lights alerted them to the situation and both the detective and the CEO ran over to see what was causing the commotion. Inside the pod, Jongin was shaking, sweat trickling down the sides of his face as his body twitched, The nurses monitoring his condition tried to wake him, but it was to no avail as they watched the boy thrash around in his pod, heart rate rising rapidly before it suddenly plummeted, the boy inside falling limp and the soft beeps of his monitor showed that he was in a stable state.

 

No matter how many times they tried to wake him, through the usual disconnection or the more extreme shaking and ringing alarms, the boy would not wake. The on-site doctor that resided there for the time being, checked up on Jongin with a grim face, shaking his head as he declared the boy to be in a coma, exactly like the other players who had played the game, with no real reason as to why they had become that way. With no other option, the doctors moved the boy to the intensive care ward, hooking up to machines and laying lifeless in the bed.

 

Minseok pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closing as he started to pace around, muttering to himself as he tried to figure out what had happened. Zitao walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder.

 

"The others are back online, we need to tell them and let them know they need to continue."

 

The stoic-faced man's eyes held regret and remorse at the early loss of a player, but he was right. They had an investigation to do and Minseok didn't want any others to go through what Jongin had, he didn't want his company to be in ruins and he didn't want families to be grief stricken. With a hesitant nod, he followed the detective back to the monitors where they had full view of the team that were hiding in the Tree, he motioned for one of the workers to patch him through and soon he was speaking directly into the team's ears.

 

"Boys, can you hear me? There has been a setback, Jongin has been put in a coma and he's in ICU right now. I need you boys to hold your heads high and move forward, we need to catch who or what is behind this and fast. Think of the people you're protecting, we're all relying on you."

 

On the screen, the shocked faces of the members could be seen clearly, from Luhan's tear-filled eyes and Yifan's grim face, to Joonmyeon's wide, unbelieving eyes and Jongdae's shaking head. They took a moment to rethink their plans, looking at each other for reassurance before Joonmyeon raised a gloved hand, his thumb up and showing a sign of understanding. Minseok stood back after a soft 'thank you', hands in his pockets as he frowned.

 

"Wasn't that Sehunter guy there right before the attack?"

 

* * *

 

Hearing of Jongin's coma was a shock, the reality of their mission finally settling in as the remaining four members tried to steel themselves back into the game, knowing exactly what was at risk. Joonmyeon had spoken for the team, the silence between them thick while D.O's sobbing could be heard in the background, a dark veil hanging down on them through the rest of the night.

 

By morning, they were in and out of sleep, all too worried to rest properly but too tired to stay alert. Joonmyeon tried to reassure his team that everything was going to be alright, D.O had quietened down, starting to return to his usual straight face. Carefully climbing down to the ground, working out the virtual cramps in their body, the five men shambled towards the exit of the area, unable to bear standing there any longer. Once back in the outside world, their inventories were updated and a window popped up stating that they had cleared the dungeon. Without much else, they prepared to go back to town, Jongdae shaking his head as if saying he can't do it, he wasn't ready for the reality of the situation. Joonmyeon stopped them, gathering them in a circle so they could see and hear him properly.

 

"Guys, guys. I know that what happened was tragic, none of us wanted that, but it has happened and there's nothing that we can do about it now. We still have four other areas to investigate and we don't want this to happen to any others either, we have to push forward or whatever Kai has been through would have been in vain. You guys don't want his suffering to be for nothing right?"

 

There was silence, D.O's head bowed as he seemed to think over the words, Luhan's eyes were puffy and red as he wiped them, Yifan's lips were set in a firm line and Jongdae seemed to have zoned out completely. The sorcerer let them all have a moment so the words could sink in, watching as a fire was lit in their eyes and their hearts. D.O and Luhan were the first to step forward, their hands and fingers interlinked and they gave Joonmyeon a definite nod, followed by a stoic Yifan and a slightly hesitant Jongdae.

 

"Alright, let's go!"

 

Their next area of investigation was the Forest of Lost Memories, Joonmyeon wondered who was behind the naming of all the places in the game.

 

"D.O, do you have any information we could need when we go to the Forest of Lost Memories? Does it really have lost memories or is that just for the whole dramatic naming idea?"

 

"This area actually puts a status on you, it's a thing called Deja Vu. It'll pop up as a status effect in the corner of your UI, what happens is you inhale the gas and it makes you hallucinate, seeing things from your past. A lot of people get scared once they enter the place and it just brings up all their worst nightmares. It's best to not think about the bad things, focus on happy memories." The warrior started to flick at items on his screen, unseen by the other members as he spoke. "Once we beat the dungeon and head into the next area, the status will kick in, we have to survive it for as long as we're in there. Vigilance and a calm mind will get you through."

 

He flicked his finger, a message window popping up in front of the team as the dungeon map, area map and some potions appeared in a trade. Joonmyeon hit accept and the items were sent into their inventories, the members sorting it and checking the updated map for the details of the next area. Jongin's attack were fresh on their minds and any hesitation was cleverly hidden behind stoicism and determination. Yifan was constantly tapping things on his screen, flashes of light outlining him as he leveled up his weapons so it was sturdier and had more damage. Jongdae and Luhan were exchanging Magic potions for Health potions, arguing over the unfair trade as they were of different sizes, offering different and weaker boosts than the other, Luhan resorting to arguing in his native mother tongue at Jongdae's frustration. Joonmyeon sighed and he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, D.O appearing in the corner of his eye as he stood by. The sorcerer was quite glad to have the warrior along, without him, the team would be helplessly lost and Jongin wouldn't have been the only person injured.

 

"Hey, D.O... Thank you for helping us. I don't think we would even be here without your guidance."

 

"You don't have to thank me for this, I'm just doing what I think is right." The warrior gave a mysterious smile, his helmet still in place on his head and covering the top half of his face. "Let's go before it gets late, the darker monsters always come out at night."

 

With a nod, Joonmyeon called the other men, waving them over as they set out towards the next location, the babble of talk rumbling between them as they discussed the next battle tactics.

 

* * *

 

Whirls of wind sliced the air as green flickers of light swirled in mini cyclones around the circular path, dealing continuous damage if caught in it. A giant fairy fluttered in the center, pale skin shining with an otherworldly light, pink hair in waves down her back and body clad in a dress made of the softest petals while upon her head, sat a crown woven from silver branches. The fairy princess let out a shrill scream, pitch black eyes burning with anger as the team of men laid dozens of wounds on her, her golden wings flapping wildly and showering sparkling dust onto them.

 

"How dare you step foot in my domain and hurt me! I, Princess Lily of the Flower Kingdom, will punish you for your insolence!"

 

She opened her palms, waves and waves of strong wind buffeted them, pushing them away as one more hit would cause her HP bar to hit zero. With her focus directed on D.O and Joonmyeon, Sometimes becoming distracted as she maintained her eyes on an ever-moving Yifan. Just as the health of the three drained fast, a shower of green refilled their bars and Luhan quickly added them a boost while the fairy princess blocked them off with gusts of gale force winds. What she didn't realize that Jongdae had been using his stealth to sneak onto a pillar of the partly collapsed building, setting himself up and aiming an arrow on the middle of her back, where it was weakest to go straight through her heart. His sniping skill focused completely and his fingers let loose the arrow, the twang of the bowstring vibrating up his arm and the arrow flew true, hitting the aimed spot and sinking right through. The princess let out a choked sound, eyes widening as the final red of her HP dropped to zero and she shattered into pixels, leaving behind a large treasure chest. Inside were scrolls of special moves, the parchment yellowed with age but the script gleaming bright gold. There were also high level weapons and a small crystal trophy, hanging on a chain so that they could wear to boost their stats.

 

At the other side of the path, an archway lead into the Forest, where their next investigation was to be, the blackness of the entrance giving them chills as they approached it. Joonmyeon was the first to go through the portal, at Jongdae's push, followed by said archer, Yifan, D.O and Luhan. The other side was exceptionally cold, there was no sunlight filtering through the dense canopy of the forest, a thick mist filled the air and they could barely see each other in it, even when standing next to the other person. Trunks of trees were just black figures and in the distance, there was the undeniable groaning and moaning of monsters, waiting for their chance at roaming the area for lost players. Luhan stepped close to D.O, his hand sliding around the warrior's armor-covered bicep as he shivered in the chill, breaths coming out in thick puffs of steam.

 

"So we'll have to split into teams if we want to check the whole area before dark, which is in four hours. Bambi, you stay with D.O, I think you'll be safest with him. Kris and Chen, you guys will come with me, that way no one is left alone." Joonmyeon directed them carefully, voice only whispering softly in the silence of the forest. "We'll take the left side, you two take the right and we'll meet at the exit portal on the other side, yeah?"

 

The others agreed it was a good plan, the group splitting into a pair and a trio, waving goodbye to each other before they parted ways into the thick mist. Footsteps were muffled by damp undergrowth, armor clanking sounding much too loud. The name gave everything away, the Forest of Desolation, and it was exactly as the name suggested, empty. The trees themselves were hard, bark rough to touch and completely black, looking like figures of people in the fog. The call connection was strong this time between the team, their voices soft as they trudged through the area, eyes and ears scouring for any clues that may give them a start on the investigation into the wolf.

 

Jongdae and Yifan's heads perked up at random intervals as they walked, as if listening for a particular sound. More often than not, they would look at each other with a look that communicated some foreign telepathy between their eyes. After the fifth pause in their steps, Joonmyeon had demanded to know what was wrong, their faces worried as they woke of a new sound, the sound of someone running, the sound of clinking chain mail and the scraping of metal against metal, perhaps the pieces of a warrior's armor shifting as the person ran. The sorcerer hoped that it wasn't, more paranoia would not do them any better in their situation. The trio checked their mini map in their user interface, the circular image sitting neatly out of the way in the bottom corner, the blue dot showing Luhan's location was much further behind them, slowly moving forward as they scanned their half of the area.

 

"There's nothing over here right now, Bambi, we're going to check ahead--"

 

A clanging sound rang out close by, the sound of metal sliding against metal and then the undeniable scream from Luhan. Three heads turned towards the sound of the fight, listening intently at how intense it was before they ran to the source. On the map, they could see Luhan's dot starting to run away, zig zagging through the trees in erratic and sharp turns like he was being chased.

 

"BAMBI!"

 

Joonmyeon couldn't hold back anymore, shouting at the sensor and calling Luhan's name for a response. The blue dot had stopped moving and there was a panting on the other end of the line.

 

"I-I'm still here. You guys remember that Sehunter guy?" Luhan's voice was barely a whisper, like he was trying to stay quiet. "He attacked out of nowhere and D.O fought him off while I ran but now I don't know where either of them are..."

 

"Stay there, we're coming."

 

Their footsteps sped up, running towards the stationary blue spot, hoping that after Luhan, they could find D.O as well. Just as they were close, Luhan's breathing picked up, a whimpering on his end of the line as a growl followed soon after.

 

"O-Oh my god..."

 

A blood curdling shriek of terror filled the forest, ringing to the bone and ears of the trio. They could hear the attacks through the call line, ferocious scratches and clawing, growls of viciousness filling their ears along with the painful cries of someone being mauled to death. They ran with all their strength, their legs burning with exertion when suddenly the line cut, no other sound but static scratched in their eardrums and Luhan's icon on their UI went grey, HP and MP bars empty and a big red cross placed over his avatar picture.

 

"No... No, no, no..." Jongdae covered his face, tears forming in his eyes as he tried to catch his breath at the same time, shoulders shaking as he tried to hide his sobs.

 

Yifan's face was deathly pale, Joonmyeon was afraid that he had stopped breathing before he heard the ragged intake of breath. The sorcerer himself couldn't understand what had happened, were Sehunter and the wolf actually connected with each other or is this all the other player's doing? Without much hesitation, he turned around, feet automatically running as his eyes searched for any sign of the black-armored warrior. He found the man at Luhan's original location, clutching at a red pixelated gash on the side of his stomach, tear tracks visible as it cut a path through the grit on his face, from under his helmet to his chin.

 

"I should have ran with him..." D.O whispered as Joonmyeon casted a small healing spell to stitch up the wound. "I should have thrown him off and ran with Bambi, maybe he would still be safe..."

 

Joonmyeon shook his head, words not able to leave his mouth as he watched the wound disappear slowly. This was unplanned and they honestly didn't think it would be this dangerous, already losing two team members in the first day. Once D.O was healed, Joonmyeon stepped back to join the remaining members of their team.

 

"D.O... We... We're going to have to leave for a little, to think about all this. Will you be okay?"

 

The warrior offered a weak smile, nodding his head as they turned towards the exit portal.

 

"I will be alright. Will you guys be coming back?"

 

"We have to." Jongdae spoke solemnly, opposite of his usual personality. "To seek justice for our fallen members. We need to come back and find that wolf."

 

As if in confirmation, Joonmyeon and Yifan nodded, D.O's lips going tight and he sighed. He turned towards the nearest town, raising a hand to say goodbye to the team.

 

"I'll see you all soon, then. I'll head back to town for a while."

 

The three figures faded before he could speak any more, his lips forming a frown that quickly turned into a snarl as he kicked the rubble under his shoe.

 

"I'm going to kill that Sehunter."

 

* * *

 

Luhan's reaction when he was attacked was quite similar to Jongin's, thrashing and flailing in his pod but coupled with pained wails and weak whimpers made it all the more harder for the workers to not pull the others out of the game at that time. Minseok and Zitao were staring at the screen intently, eyes and ears open for any indication of who or what the wolf was and where it may have ran to. It was in vain as Luhan's body fell limp in the pod, the doctors and nurses coming over to transfer him into intensive care.

 

Soon after, the remaining three pods clicked open, the users sitting up quickly and finding themselves with cheeks drenched with tears. They looked over to the empty pods and the reality settled into their processing minds, eyes widening and heads shaking as they realized the true situation. It took an hour for each of them to calm down with the help of the counsellors on hand, another half hour to feed and bathe themselves before they were ready to return to the work area where a pacing Minseok and a grumbling Zitao greeted them.

 

"Boys, are you alright? Are you still going back? Was there any lead with the identity of the wolf?"

 

Minseok rushed over with arms outstretched, Zitao pulling him back as a warning to stay professional. 

 

"So far, the two places you have investigated, you have ran into the wolf with some unfortunate endings. Both occasions, the user named se_hunter94 was there. Is this a coincidence? I think not, the workers are searching up the user and his location and profile as we speak. But I need you to go in there and confront him, defeat him and find out his motives. Am I clear?"

 

"Detective, you can't be seri--"

 

"Mr Kim, I assure you I know what I am doing. They knew the dangers when they signed those papers to aid us in the investigation. Now, they are the only ones who could save other users from falling into that." Zitao's head inclined towards the ICU where two bodies in beds were hooked up to a life support machine. "So, will you go back or will you run away?"

 

Joonmyeon glanced at Jongdae, the older man turning his head to look up at Yifan. They didn't need to speak any words, they just nodded and a new determination settled into their minds, the three stepping up to the pods once more.

 

 

* * *

 

 **Author's Note:** Please feel free to contact me via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/m_prexs) or [Ask.fm](http://ask.fm/mprexs) if you have any questions about the story so far or you just want to talk! I promise I won't try to bite you :O A special thank you for all my precious readers right now and please do not feel like I've left details out, everything will be revealed in due time!


	4. Baited and Eliminated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One by one, they are lead into traps. Elimination from the World was inevitable, but who would be next?
> 
> Special note: This chapter is un-beta'd, an edited version will be updated as soon as possible.
> 
> (One chapter posted each day until the end of [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/), on August 2nd)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Appreciation Note:**  
>  Thank you so, so much to the mods who kind of kicked me through all this, I'm finally there! Almost at the end! ヾ(。◕ฺ∀◕ฺ)ノ 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to my beta, [Emily](http://theforgettable.livejournal.com/), who patiently sat through my procrastination and got my chapters back to me before time. I owe you so much ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡
> 
> For everyone who wants to read other EXO long fics, please head to [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/) to read all the other amazing stories!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:**  
>  Many of the ideas in this fic was inspired by the anime Sword Art Online and my online experience in MMORPGs. I do not own the stories in them, only the idea that stemmed from it.
> 
> I also, do not own or am affiliated to any EXO member, the members are owned by themselves and their copyright remains with SM (or other company). I am only using them in this fic as entertainment and does not reflect them, at any point, in real life.

* * *

 

**Chapter 3: Baited and Eliminated**

 

Two bodies laid on stiff white beds, tubes and wires attaching them to beeping machines that sat beside them. Neither of them were moving, barely showing signs of life until the occasional shuddering breath. Five men were sitting in chairs or standing around the beds with grim expressions on their faces, lips set in straight lines and eyes downcast as the thick silence filled the room, cut with the sounds from the life support machines. The regret and anger were apparent in the eyes of the men, the sight of their teammates hooked up to the machines boiled their blood and without much warning, Yifan got up from his seat, the chair legs scraping against the floor before he stalked out of the room. Jongdae followed after, shooting a look at Joonmyeon before he disappeared from sight. It took some coaxing by Minseok to get the man out of the depressing room and back to their situation.

 

Workers scrambled about with sheets of paper or a computer tablet, trying their hardest to find the bug in their system. Yifan and Jongdae had plopped into chairs, sitting at a round table where there were plans of their next approach of the game. Casualties had been unpredicted and since the loss of Jongin and Luhan, there had been many more people affected by the wolf attacks, whole teams being wiped out, random attacks in the middle of the day and so forth. Joonmyeon eased himself into a chair next to Jongdae, watching as Minseok and Zitao walked over to discuss their new strategy. The CEO had worry written all over his face, frown lines etched across his forehead, the detective not as different as they sorted through papers of information.

 

"Alright, so everything that has happened had been unplanned. No one predicted the wolf showing up at such times after there was no evidence found that showed it was there in the first place." Minseok spread his papers over the table as he spoke, palms pressed against the flat surface as he leaned his weight onto it. "When Jongin was attacked, the call signal was lost, right before the first yell. The second time, when Luhan was taken, there wasn't any signal loss but he had been separated from that D.O warrior."

 

Zitao walked over to them, handing them an iPad where a sound file had been preloaded, the sound of their voices ringing out in the room as they recognized it as the team chat they were in right before Luhan's incident. They cringed at the screams, worrying their lips with their teeth as they listened to Luhan's panicked voice and the sounds of swords clashing in the background.

 

"I'm sure you all have noticed it by now..." Zitao started, tapping his pen against the table. "In both occurrences, the player named se_hunter94, had appeared before or during the attack. The team has searched through the database and we have found something that is quite... disturbing."

 

The detective slid a file across the table, inside was a single sheet of paper with an image. It was a dark and eerie symbol, a scythe standing upright with a hangman's noose hanging from the tip of the blade. The three pairs of eyes widened as they remembered the symbol next to se_hunter94's name back in the Armory shop.

 

"This is the symbol of a sort of underground guild, the 'Association of the Scythe's Hangmen', according to their secret guild forum." Minseok took a deep breath, his face scrunching up as he fought to spit out the next few sentences. "They are also called 'Death's Disciples' in the game. They are red players, what we call 'player killers', not because they're killing people in real life but they have the highest number of Player vs Player wins. Only recently have they found a way to slip through our systems and to put players into comas via an electric signal that is unreadable in our machines. The shock puts the player into an epileptic fit which will end with them in a coma, so far, apart from the unending sleep, no brain damage has been recorded so we must have hope and continue on with our investigation."

 

"But it does not make sense about how this whole wolf thing comes into play, but we will find the reason, but for now, your mission has been adjusted." Zitao gave them a hard look, a look of dominance and complete obedience. "You must trail se_hunter94, find out what he's doing, his connections and why he's looking for the wolf, because it seems that the wolf and he are working together."

 

Silent nods followed, lips pressed into hard lines as the men filed out of the small room and into the hallway. Minseok had urged them to eat, their stomachs rumbling as the smell of warm, cooked food wafted through the air. Following the scents, they found large plates of breakfast; sausages, eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes, sandwiches, juices, toast and more, waiting for them. Plates were filled and they searched for a seat among the throng of workers, everyone with dark eye bags and shovelling food into their mouths before downing black coffee. It worried them to see how tired the people are, realizing that they were the ones watching over them in the game, the ones keeping them in check and watching over their lifeless bodies as they wandered around in a virtual world. Joonmyeon bowed his head in thanks to the men and women as he passed them, thanking them softly for their efforts.

 

"I never realized how many people are working on this, it must be a pretty big thing..." Jongdae looked around him as he placed his tray down on the table.

 

"I mean, maybe their kids are playing this too, and they don't want this coma thing to happen to their family so they're trying just as hard as we are to end the problem before it escalates."

 

Yifan shoved half a tomato into his mouth, chewing hungrily as he sliced through the sausages. The reality of the situation really hit them hard, they never really thought about the other workers and their families, and the families of all the other players within the game. A lot of responsibility rested upon their shoulders, like the heavy weight of the thousands upon thousands of children, men and women who escaped to the virtual reality to relax and forget about their troubles at least for a little while. The food became hard to chew, became too thick to swallow and too bland to taste, the three men forcing the food until they couldn't take another bite. The weight on their shoulders making them feel much more important, their mission could make or break them.

 

With stomachs full and hearts set, the three returned to the main room, the CEO and detective already standing by for their re-entry into the virtual world. A nurse helped them into their pods, gloved fingers sticking the nodes onto their vital points and helping them settle. With a weak smile, they each thanked her in turn as she stood back and watched them slide on the head gear, the console covering their eyes and they laid back in their pods, the glass cover falling shut with them inside like dolls set in glass crystals. They prepared their login screens and a static sound alerted them to a microphone being adjusted.

 

"Alright guys, we've located se_hunter94. He's at a town close to the next location and we've put out a ping to D.O the warrior and he's trailing sehunter now, so give him a notice once you get to the town so he can let you know where he is." Minseok seemed to have gotten over his trouble from before, speaking loudly and clearly into the microphone, instructing them of what to do. "I'll patch you all through now, good luck and stay safe."

 

Raising their arms, they all gave him the thumbs up signal, Minseok pressing a button to open the connection. Yifan was the first to log in, his deep rumble of 'Link Start!' muffled by the glass. Jongdae and Joonmyeon followed one after the other, softer voices calling out their log in before their avatars appeared on the viewing screen on the other side of the room, the CEO taking his place next to the detective as they prepared to continue watching over their team.

* * *

 

Yifan was already there when Jongdae fell out of the teleportation crystal head-first. The archer landed in a heap as he flailed about, trying to get up before Joonmyeon came out of the crystal too. Fortunately, when the glowing blue floating rock shone brightly to signal someone appearing, Jongdae was spared the pain as Joonmyeon easily landed on his feet. Yifan walked over, extending a long arm to the archer, pulling him up with little effort.

 

"I already contacted D.O, he should be replying any minute now--" A white window appeared on his interface, taking the tall man by surprise, his eyes scanning over the message. "Alright, he's given the coordinates, apparently se_hunter94 has stopped to buy some very suspicious potions. Are we ready?"

 

Yifan looked up at the two men, the only two left of his team, his finger raised and ready to send a quick message to the helpful warrior that they were on their way. Joonmyeon gave a nod, followed by Jongdae, the approval being a sort of confirmation for the taller to send the reply. They set off quickly, feet shuffling quickly as they walked briskly to the coordinates the warrior had sent them. They found themselves at a small trinket shop, a figure waving them inside quickly. D.O was inside, his black armor blending into the darkness of the shop, his knees bent and head focused intently out the window.

 

"Hi everyone. So I've been trailing the sehunter guy and he's just across the alley buying some really toxic looking potions. Also, this guy is lost so I thought he should join us for now, he's a healer support, and his name is Lay." 

 

D.O waved to his right, a man with drooping eyes and a stoned look gave them a smile. He seemed distant, with the faraway look in his eyes as he sat by without asking why they were hiding or why they were following another player. Lay was dressed in grey robes with black hems and sleeves, his hair black underneath a broad-rimmed grey hat, his staff leaning on the wall next to him. He didn't seem dangerous, nor did he seem like anything at all, he just sat there as they watched the golden-armored man across the alleyway. They stayed still for about five minutes before se_hunter94 moved from his spot, glancing around with squinted eyes before he set off. D.O scrambled over the other men, almost falling out of the door just as their target rode past on a black steed, what animal it was, they weren't sure. But the warrior on their side was quick thinking, arm going over his shoulder as he threw something at the man that rode away.

 

There was a clunk as it fell to the ground, the metal casing disintegrating and leaving behind no evidence except for the tracking device embedded into the steed's fur. D.O waved his hand for the others to come out of hiding, his free hand opening up his map and his eyes widened upon seeing the moving dot on his screen. 

 

"He's heading for the Maze!"

 

D.O reached into his bag, pulling out a blue stone, cut into a rectangular prism and glowed with a white light, increasing and decreasing in intensity, making it look like it was breathing.

 

"Grab onto this, I'll set it so it'll teleport us right to the entrance of the dungeon." He frowned as he checked his map once more. "Hurry, sehunter and his small team are already there and entering the dungeon."

 

They each placed a hand on the stone, the warrior writing the coordinates of the location on the surface where it burned brightly until there was a zap and a weird churning sensation in their stomachs. A loud screech overhead made them dive for cover behind a tree.

 

"That was close." D.O peeked out from behind the tree to check the surroundings before retreating back. "Alright, so the plan is to run straight through to the boss chambers, that way we can catch up to sehunter. This dungeon is much harder, there's one small boss and the big boss at the end. If we just continue attacking on end, the bosses won't have time to react."

 

The three team mates and the newcomer nodded, all eyes focusing on the warrior's strategy as they tried to remember any important details that will be helpful in a time of need. D.O pulled up his inventory, pressing some buttons before flicking his wrist, a pop-up window appearing in front of each of them with a scroll containing the map and potions that would help boost their stats.

 

"Okay, so I sent you the map of the actual location on the other side, it's called the Maze of Destruction. It will play with your mind, it will move and slowly make you go crazy. Our aim is to get to the center, that's the goal of the maze. We have to do anything and everything in our power to get ourselves to that point, even if the maze decides to separate us... and send various monsters out to eat us... Apparently, the trick is to keep running towards the light. There’s a beam of light that will show you where the center is but then if you’re met with a wall, turn right. If we get to the light, everything should be fine."

 

With a grim nod, the other members stepped up to the challenge, drawing their weapons and making their preparations. They checked the skies for the flying creature, only leaving the safety of the forest once it was clear and deemed free of carnivorous birds, their hurried footsteps heading towards the entrance portal to the dark and gloomy dungeon. They charged in head first, weapons raised and yells on their lips. D.O and Yifan appeared in the dungeon first, followed by Joonmyeon then Jongdae and the dopey new guy. The dungeon looked like an underground cavern, dug deep into the earth and kept upright with thick columns of natural clay. A worn path lead into the depths of the dungeon and there were chittering sounds of other creatures sharing the space echoing through the long winding tunnels of the place. Yifan let out an involuntary shiver, Jongdae quickly latching onto Lay and looked around with wide eyes, Joonmyeon looking over to D.O to find him already picking through the dungeon, attacking and destroying all the smaller creatures with ease.

 

The men ran after the warrior quickly, their weapons drawn and war cries on their lips. Sparks flew as metal met metal, screams of defeat ringing as the five men flurried through the dungeon in record speeds. The creatures didn't see them coming, literally. Their formation didn't break through the whole first third of the run, nothing stood in their path until they reached a barrier. Joonmyeon quickly looked around, alert as there was loud chitters ringing through the cavern. Dozens of lizard men appeared, jumping down from their hiding spots along the cave walls, large swords drawn. Behind them stood a larger, meaner looking lizard, its lips pulled back in a smirk as it commanded the others to attack the team of men.

 

They jumped out of the way, the swords crashing into the hard ground, the wielders taking a moment to regain their momentum, but it was a moment too late, both Yifan and D.O descended onto the lizards with the grace of a landing swan. Sword and dagger hit home, the enemies disintegrating into particles and the remaining lizards charged at them, enraged at their fallen brothers. Distracted by the warrior and the assassin, the enemies didn't realize they were charging head-first into a trap, Jongdae on one side, bow glowing bright green as he charged up his thousand-arrow volley skill; Joonmyeon on the other, orange light swirling at his feet as runes floated around him, his staff aiming the attack right where the lizards would pass on their way to D.O and Yifan who stood as bait.

 

Just as the first foot stepped into range, Joonmyeon shot his spell, giant flaming meteors raining down on the first half of the charging group, their cries of anguish making the other half stop in their tracks. The dust billowed out in waves, blocking their eyesight and preventing them from moving forward. When it cleared, there was nothing left but charred burns on the ground, the warrior and assassin missing and the lizard began to voice their confusion. That was when Jongdae let loose his volley, thundering sounds of hundreds of arrows raining down on the mob like a hailstorm. They staggered back with arrows embedded in their bodies, whimpers of pain escaped from their lips and with a glance at their boss, they burst into pixels. 

 

The lizard boss tilted his head back, letting out a screech before it pulled out its sword and charged at them. The men dodged its charge, D.O only getting a small scrape from rubbing against the rough skin of the lizard. Joonmyeon quickly shot consecutive bursts of magic, fireball, ice ball, boulders and mini cyclones, all of them hitting the lizard and pushing him back. Jongdae followed with sniper arrows coupled with Yifan's throwing knives. The boss screamed, its health bar steadily decreasing as the attacks were relentless, hitting one after the other. With half its life left, the lizard's skin changed color, going bright red as it charged, the attacks doing less damage. 

 

"It’s skin has thickened! We need to use our skills if we want to defeat it!" 

 

Jongdae pointed out the change, the archer charging up his special shot, the glowing arrow flying and piercing straight through the lizard's thick skin. With a weakness in the skin, the others looked at each other before nodding, everyone charging up their attacks and when the lizard was in range, they let loose their flurry of attacks. Joonmyeon shot first, conjuring up a rune circle in mid-air and sending a volley of ice crystal shards at the lizard, the sharp points all focusing on the weakened skin and stabbing there, the lizard letting out a yell. Its arms raised up, sword glinting in the light.

 

Out of nowhere, Yifan let his invisibility drop and ran behind the attacking creature, his blades slicing through its thick ankles. The legs twisted and crumpled, the lizard man stumbling and falling onto its knees. Anger flashed in its eyes, forked tongue flicking out in a hiss and with forced determination, the creature continued to move forward. Jongdae's hands were unwavering as he let the glowing red arrow fly to its target, right in the middle of the lizard's scaled chest. As D.O came up from behind, sword glowing as he charged at the boss. In a desperate attempt, the lizard threw its sword, an unpredictable move. The warrior in black hit home, his sword slicing directly where the arrow was embedded, digging deeper until the creature burst into red pixels. Its sword, however, had sliced into Jongdae's side, leaving a bright red gash where instead of blood, red particles spring from the wound, his HP bar steadily decreasing. 

 

Without warning, the team were engulfed in a bright green light, the sounds of the harp playing as their injuries were healed and status effects cleared. Looking around, they found Lay peeking out from behind a pillar, eyes drooping and a tired smile on his face.

 

"Hey guys! Sorry about that, I saw a really nifty glowing bug on the wall so I went to check it out." He waved his staff. "What did I miss?"

 

Jongdae was the first to laugh, a cheeky sound that echoed through the caves; followed by D.O and Joonmyeon. Yifan took a few more seconds to crack but once he did, his gummy smile made them warm inside. Lay stood to the side, head tilted as he wondered what the others were laughing about. They moved along from the scene, discussing their loot for the defeat of the previous boss as they passed through to the next section of the dungeon that was previously blocked off. Yifan and D.O had their heads together, trading some items when Joonmyeon noticed the weird pulsing nodes around them, Jongdae already poking one with an arrow, just to jump back when a dark green cloud billowed out and engulfed him. His health started to go down in short bursts, the gas swirling about him for ten seconds before fading, a large portion of the archer's health gone along with it.

 

"Crap, what the hell was that?" Lay tapped Jongdae's head with the crystal on his staff, the archer grumbling about the toxic gas as his HP was restored.

 

"They look like eggs..."

 

Yifan looked around, eyebrows furrowing when he noticed a small form behind Jongdae, the figure moving from where the egg had been, the same one Jongdae had touched. He pointed and yelled, waving the archer and healer to jump away. As soon as they did, a large spider roughly the size of a child, lunged for them. Its many legs shuffled across the ground and Yifan barely managed to lodge a knife in it before it reached him. Afraid that there were more, the team looked around, backs pressed together and weapons drawn to be prepared so they won't be taken by surprise. Most of the eggs were still intact, no other movement could be seen apart from the pulsating breathing of the eggs.

 

"I think they don't hurt us or spawn if we don't touch them. Everyone single file and we can weave our way around the eggs."

 

Joonmyeon stepped carefully around the eggs, waving for the other four to follow his lead as they headed up to the final boss. They didn't need the distraction and waste of skill points that the small spider spawns would take up, they wanted to defeat the dungeon boss so they can head into the next area quickly. Through rows and rows of eggs, they ran in single file towards the large open area.

 

It was empty when they arrived at the last boss area, the path ending in a circular platform that made it look like an arena. There was no boss in sight. The confused team wandered around the area, their eyes peeled for any sign of movement. It took a few seconds for Lay to back himself into the middle of the platform, head tilted back to look at the ceiling of the dungeon.

 

"Heyyy..." He drawled, his lips tugged into a dopey grin. "That's some really weird pattern up there--"

 

He didn't get to finish his sentence when the boss descended on him. The weird pattern he had talked about was actually a giant spider, almost twice Joonmyeon's height and wider than two small cars. It was probably the Queen of Spiders, judging by its size and shape. Her large fangs dug into Lay's abdomen, injecting a venom that rendered him paralyzed. A thick web was secreted, the spider queen spinning her new, fresh meal into a cocoon. With the shock of the sudden appearance of the spider wearing off, D.O was the first to react.

 

He slashed at the spider's legs, the creature tipping to one side as he hacked away chunks of her legs. Meanwhile she was distracted, Joonmyeon focused his aim and wove a time-slowing spell around the cleric in the web, effectively reducing the damage of the spider venom by half. When the queen let go of her bounty, she limped after D.O who taunted her every time he dodged her swipes. Yifan took the chance to run over with his dagger, carefully slicing through the sticky spider's web that covered Lay from head to toe. The assassin pulled the injured cleric out of the cocoon, using his agility to bring him out of danger.

 

Once Lay was safe and out of the way, Joonmyeon refocused himself on the giant spider that was attacking the black-armored warrior. In the corner of his eye, he could see Jongdae's shadow flitting across boulders and rocks that lined the walls, trying to find a good vantage point for his archer skills. The sorcerer twirled his staff, calling up the rune circle under him and charging up an ice skill that would help Jongdae in his attacks. His robes billowed around him, the fabric flapping in the conjuring wind. He called out the words that appeared before him, only some of the strongest spells would need voice activation. Once complete, the circle moved from under him and towards the spider. It tracked the creature until it was directly underneath, the circle glowing bright white and a big slab of ice rose from the ground, trapping the spider's legs in the cold element and effectively trapping it in one spot.

 

"Chen! Go!"

 

Jongdae gave a nod, bow already drawn and eyes already focused on the trapped spider. With a deep breath, he let go, the twang of the bowstring echoing through the arena. The arrow flew true, piercing through the spider's abdomen. It shrieked and tried to free itself as more arrows lodged into its body, but it was useless to struggle, the ice not giving away. A shadow flashed past Joonmyeon and made its way to the spider, the figure jumping up and landing on the thrashing dungeon boss. It was Yifan. Without any hesitation, he raised the sword he had snatched from D.O, driving it down into the spider's head, just above its many eyes. The blade made a sickening sound as it cracked through the outer shell and through the mushy insides, the spider twitched as it let out a soft whimper, curling up and exploding into pixels.

 

Yifan dropped to the floor easily, handing the sword back to the warrior just as a portal opened on the other side of the arena. Jongdae climbed down from his spot upon the rocks and Lay came around the corner with a bright red potion in hand, his injuries healing as the potion healed him in quick bursts of health points. The fanfare played in the background, windows of their earnings appearing in front of them, urging them to sort their inventories before entering the Maze. The five took a ten minute break, fixing their dulling weapons and trading items of interest, the members annoying each other with bargains for certain pieces of armor.

 

Joonmyeon stood near to the portal, eyes watching the blue swirling vortex like he was hypnotized. He stood there with his arms crossed until he felt arms around his waist, hugging him from behind while his remaining team members appeared beside him. Looking down at the arms, he found them clad in black, glossy armor and for a moment, he was lost. Why was D.O hugging him? But the question disappeared as fast as it popped into his mind, his body relaxing into the comfort as the other members joined in. No words needed to be exchanged for them to understand the appreciation passed through the physical affection. The sorcerer held out his hand to the warrior, the others linking hands as well and they stepped forward into the portal together.

* * *

Sky-high walls rose up around them, grey slabs of stone covered with vines. The maze itself was dark and eerie, the howling wind echoing to sound like a large beast. In the distant sky, the men could see a beam of light shooting into the murky sky, a beacon of hope for those in the maze. Together they took their first steps forward, the crunching of dried leaves causing them to wince and hope that there was nothing in the darkness that was alerted of their approach. There were rumbles of something heavy moving, stone scraping against stone and they were starting to have second thoughts. Navigating through the outer region of the maze was easy. There was no danger there, except for their own minds, playing tricks and forcing them to jerk in panic.

 

The five made steady progress towards the center, having not run into any enemies or obstacles just yet. They had just rounded the corner to a brighter area when Yifan raised his head, eyes wide as he turned his head, ears open to the sounds he thought he had heard. True enough, there was a low growl from behind them, the team turning and diving out of the way with yells of surprise. The creature barely missed them. It was a hybrid between a lion and a wolf, the front half was of the ferocious canine, longer snout snapping and drooling with madness. The hind legs were of a lion's, the strong muscles that helped it sprint faster rippling under the golden fur.

 

"It's a c-chimera!"

 

Yifan looked honestly scared, eyes wide and face pale, it was as if he had seen a ghost. The canine snapped at them with the desperation for a hunt, growling as it raised its head to howl. It was a chilling sound, cutting right to the bone. Golden eyes appeared in the shadows, one pair became two, two became four and soon they were faced with a pack of mad chimeras. At the animal's first move, the team bolted, each of them too panicked to think properly about staying together. Yifan, Lay and D.O had long gone, their legs taking them as far away as they could from the pack of wild creatures. Jongdae sprinted down a narrow corridor, only noticing the way it seemed to be getting smaller when he was running through. The chimeras were already snapping at his heel and he put on a burst of speed just as the wall was closing.

 

He fell forward with a lurch, the two walls slamming shut with the whimpering and sickening crunch of bodies. Jongdae doubled over, breath coming out in pants and he placed a hand over his mouth as if he was going to empty the imaginary contents of his stomach. Taking a moment to recover, the archer glanced around him, dismay settling in his mind as he knew he was hopelessly lost.

 

Joonmyeon had done a very smart thing. He had ran towards the hanging vines and jumped onto them, his hands and feet moving at the speed of light to pull him out of the chimera's reaches. He stayed there until the creatures lost interest, not wanting to put out too much effort for a meal that was pretty small if they wanted to feed the whole pack. Seeing them run in a certain direction, Joonmyeon opened his menu and initiated a chat between his teammates, the line dialling for a second before a scratching sound notified him of Jongdae's connection, the deeper panting was Yifan. He took a glance at the man and frowned when he saw how far they were from each other, they would have to travel alone now.

 

"Suho, I'll be fine. I have Lay here with me so we got each other's back. You try and get to Chen, he's alone."

 

"Please. The walls move, and the chimeras are probably still after me, and where is D.O?"

 

The archer babbled weakly, the scraping of his footsteps were picked up by the microphone, the blue dot of his location moving slowly through the corridors of the maze.

 

"Chen-ah, you should try and head to the center, I'll find my way to you. If the chimeras are chasing you, climb onto the vines. They'll get tired and leave you alone for a while. I'm not sure where D.O is, but I'm sure he's fine. He'll be waiting for us at the center, I bet you."

 

"O-Okay. I'll try and get there but if you can, can you come and get me?"

 

"Don't worry, Chen. We'll find you."

 

It took a lot of coaxing for Jongdae to continue moving, his terrified form sticking close to walls. For the most part, he was undisturbed, the man able to make his way closer and closer to the center of the maze. But luck had never been on his side. Almost an hour later, just as he rounded a corner, he spotted it. The glowing golden eyes drawing closer and closer in the darkness. The archer quickly retreated, his eyes darting around to look for vines but he was caught between bare walls. He thought it was the end, the chimera was close and it readied itself to pounce. The lithe form flew through the air, its teeth bared to take a huge chunk out of him.

 

A black shadow crashed into the chimera's side, the hybrid barking and growling before the figure raised his sword. It was as if a switch was flicked, the chimera's ears folding backwards, its head bowed as it retreated, soft whimpers echoing in its throat. D.O turned to the cowering Jongdae, the warrior holding out his hand with a big smile.

 

"I got you, Chen. You'll be okay."

 

The archer took the armored hand, his gloved ones sliding into the other's easily. D.O was calm, surveying the surroundings before inclining his head towards the beam of light.

 

"Shall we go? Maybe we can meet the others there."

 

Jongdae nodded dumbly, letting the warrior lead him through the corridors of the maze with ease. No chimeras attacked them, Jongdae could see them in the distance but they never came within a ten meter radius of the two men, he didn't understand why. Walls blended together, everything was grey and before he could even think, Jongdae was staring at a glowing pool of water. They had arrived at the center. The archer looked around, noticing that none of the other members had arrived yet.

 

"Suho, Kris. I'm at the center of the maze. D.O came and saved me, we're here now and there's a pool of light. I want to jump into it."

 

Joonmyeon chuckled at Jongdae's child-like behavior but he couldn't help feeling like something was wrong. He was still a few corridors away from the center and as far as he could tell, Yifan was having much more trouble with the maze. How did Jongdae and D.O reach the center so fast?

 

"You're with D.O? Is he alright?"

 

"Yeah! He helped me through the maze, all the way here. He's..." Jongdae paused, the sound of his clothes shifting alerted Joonmyeon to his movements. "He was right... here...?"

 

There were sounds of scuffling feet, a gasp and Jongdae's microphone picked up the voice.

 

"What the hell? Why the fuck are you here, peasant? We're here to hunt, so get out of the way."

 

It was the undeniable voice of se_hunter94 and the sneers of his elite team. How they had gotten there with no complaints of chimera attacks had Joonmyeon frowning in confusion.

 

"Chen, get out of there. Quickly, go and find D.O before something happens!"

 

"I think he might have gone to find you guys..." Chen started to run, his breath heavy as he desperately searched for the warrior.

 

In the background, the laughing voices of sehunter and his team echoed along the corridors of the maze.

 

"Run, little rabbit! Run before the big, bad se_hunter94 gets you!"

 

Their voices were mocking, the sounds of weapons being unsheathed and Jongdae started to fear for his life. If the rumors were true and sehunter had connections with the coma patients or the wolf, Jongdae's life was on the line. Joonmyeon tried to stay calm, his eyes following the blue dot on his map. Yifan was still far off and the voices in the chat seemed to overlap each other. With not much else he could do, Joonmyeon set off for Jongdae's position, confirming with the archer to stay in one place. There was no background sound on Jongdae's end of the chat, the only sound was his labored breathing.

 

"Wait there, Chen! We'll come to you."

 

"Okay. I'll stay here." Jongdae sounded like he was weak, the life or death situation was not something he had trained for. "Hey, I think I see something. Hey! Where-- Oh, god. Oh my god, Shisus please save me."

 

The sudden change in the archer's voice had Joonmyeon rushing to the other's location, eyes fixated on the map so he could find his way to Jongdae. The blue dot shifted, the indicator almost flying down the corridors and away from his position. Jongdae's chat line interchanged between static and yelling, a pain-filled cry for help.

 

"Please! Help me! Suho! Kris!" Jongdae's screams filled the air, the voice echoed through the maze and chilled the remaining men to the bone. "You don't understand! It's been him! It's--"

 

The line cut abruptly, static filled their ears and Jongdae's icon went grey. The blue dot of his body was still active, the light blinking like it was mocking them. With a heavy heart, Joonmyeon made his way to the archer's final spot, his eyes flicking to the map as he noticed that Yifan had changed course as well. Soft boots padded along stone corridors, nothing but the howling wind made a sound in the area, the leaves on the vines swayed back and forth with every gust. Arriving at the scene, Joonmyeon could not believe his eyes.

 

The wolf was there, its eyes focused on the fading body of the cheeky archer as it paced in a circle. Red eyes flashed every time the wolf turned to make another round, the bloodstained teeth bared in a sick grin. Footsteps padded in from behind the sorcerer, the wolf's head perked at the sounds. Yifan and Lay arrived just as the wolf turned to face the new men, it viciously snarled and snapped at them, blood red eyes burning with anger. Yifan lunged forward with his daggers raised, an angry cry leaving his mouth. The wolf bolted down the corridor, chased by the tall assassin. Lay followed close after Yifan, the cleric waving his arm and telling the man to be careful. Joonmyeon chased after him too, his vision flashed red as he panicked. If Yifan followed the wolf into a trap, he would lose his life and Joonmyeon didn't know if he was strong enough to carry the burden of the mission without breaking down, the weight of his teammates added the pressure.

 

The wolf headed to the center of the maze, the area emptied of players. A red swirling portal was on the other side and the wolf stopped to incline its ear towards the sound of running feet. Yifan appeared around the corner, charging at the wolf in a blind rage with the poor healer in tow. Joonmyeon called out to Yifan as soon as he was in sight, the wolf growling as it retreated towards the portal. Without hesitation, it jumped into the vortex, transported through the portal to the other side.

 

"Kris! Wait! You don't know what's on the other side!" Joonmyeon's legs pushed him forward to reach for the assassin. "We need to think this through!"

 

Yifan didn't waste his breath. He gave the shorter sorcerer a pained look and he used his speed skill, his body launched into the portal after the wolf.

* * *

 

"Guys! Wait up!"

 

The sorcerer bent over, clutching at a stitch on his side as he watched the two figures get further away. Yifan was still trailing the black wolf, always the same distance behind the creature no matter how fast it may run. Lay was behind the assassin, his staff being used like a walking stick. Since their exit from the Maze, the wolf had lead them on a wild goose chase across meadows, over hills and through mountains. Joonmyeon wasn't sure where it was headed but it seemed to have a general direction. Almost two days had passed with them behind the canine, the creature making no attempt to escape their view or attack them, just continuing to make its way to somewhere.

 

"I swear, since when were clerics so fast?" The man panted, his hand clutched his staff tightly like a lifeline. "Guys! Hey, don't just ignore me like this, I swear I'll--"

 

It was evening when the wolf lead them to a large mansion on the outskirts of nowhere. Its lithe black form slipped easily into the shadows that seemed to fill the house. The mansion was made of stone, large blocks stacked to form the structure and giant marble pillars decorated the front. It probably would have looked majestic at some point, but now the mansion was run-down and almost in ruins. The white stones were now grey with age, the wrought-iron gates unhinged and barely holding on. The garden itself was a nightmare of weeds and overgrown decaying plants, the gloomy lighting only adding to the haunted look of the house.

 

Yifan didn't even hesitate in following the wolf through the gates of the mansion, the stoned healer right behind him. Joonmyeon only arrived at the gate as the two men slipped into the house. A wolf howled in the distance, an eerie backdrop to sight of the (obviously) haunted mansion in front. The sorcerer quickly pushed his way through the creaking gates, boot-clad feet stepping over the thick vines that were growing across the ground. Upon reaching the front door, Joonmyeon was shaking, a frown marred his forehead and the man nudged the wooden panel open slightly to peek his head inside.

 

He was met with darkness, an open foyer splitting off into three different areas of an inky blackness; the two side rooms and forward. Joonmyeon had never fared well with horror settings in games or in movies, sleepless nights usually followed, and any sleep that he did manage to get was plagued with nightmares. Shaking in fright, Joonmyeon tried to force himself to enter the house, it was for the sake of his last teammate and the innocent cleric that was taken in by the wrong group of people. D.O had been missing since the Maze and when Joonmyeon tried to message him, he got an automated message that said the warrior had gone off to do his chores. If he was there, the sorcerer knew he would have been able to enter the house. But luck had never been on his side, Joonmyeon unable to enter and instead he just waited outside by the door where he jumped at every single moving thing.

Inside the house, the two men cautiously stepped through the darkness. Yifan's assassin skill allowed his eyesight to refocus to suit places with little to no lighting, the tall man leading Lay through the empty house. The scratching of claws on the floorboards gave the wolf away, the body flashing past and sliding into a different room. Yifan gave chase, his legs pushing him into a mad dash after the wolf that had killed so many of his comrades. In his haste, the assassin had let Lay's arm slip from his grasp and the door slammed shut between them.

 

"Aha! AhahahaHAHAHAHA!"

 

An evil voice echoed through the house, the poor healer stumbling back against a wall, his eyes blind as he didn't have anyone to lead him. When his back met with the hard surface, he felt the ice cold chill of something wet against his back. Instead of leaning into a wall, Lay went straight through and the surface rippled like a sinister slime monster. It was too late to find anything to pull himself out, his body sinking deeper and deeper until there was no evidence left that proved that he was previously there. Yifan found himself alone as the wolf turned a corner and vanished into thin air, he should have thought the chasing idea through.

 

Joonmyeon paced around outside the mansion, his bottom lip chewed red with worry. Half of him told him to go inside and help his teammates, the other half was too scared to go inside. The wind howled suddenly, a loud gust almost drowning out the surprised yell coming from inside the house. The sorcerer looked up to see shadows dashing past the windows of the top floor, an occasional flash of green healing magic signalling to him that Lay was the one running. He wasn't sure if the cleric was running from the wolf or the spawning monsters that would appear in the mansion. It was not unheard of for game designs to include a haunted house to challenge the strong of heart. Another burst of green lit up a window, it was much closer than the others and before Joonmyeon could react, the window shattered with a loud crash. A body flew out into the air before gravity took its toll and pulled the form to the ground. It landed with a sickening crack, the sound of smashing skulls and breaking bones rang through the air. Shocked and shaking, the sorcerer slowly edged his way to the crumpled body.

 

Tugging on the shoulder, Joonmyeon flipped the form over and stumbled back with a squawk of horror. Lay's body was as lifeless as his eyes, the clothes on his body ripped and bloody, riddled with shards of glass from the window. Looking up at where the man was last, the sorcerer's eyes widened. Standing there, was the wolf, its red eyes glowing evilly in the darkness of the house. The creature had lured them there to kill the rest of the team, and anyone associated with them. Lay was an unfortunate case, having caught up with the wrong party.

 

With the wolf already gotten rid of the healer, Joonmyeon feared for Yifan, the assassin still inside the house. Joonmyeon raised his staff, shooting a fireball at the sneering animal and watching as it retreated into the darkness. Faced with a predicament, the sorcerer was forced to make a quick decision: to go inside, get lost and die or to go inside, save Yifan and die. Both were similar options but Joonmyeon knew that he was too weak to enter the house and potentially get attacked. So with all his might, the sorcerer pulled himself up and cupped his hands to his mouth.

 

"Kris! Be careful! It's already taken Lay!"

 

Joonmyeon's voice was muffled, the horrible sounds inside the house overlapping and roaring in Yifan's ears. He had tried to track the wolf's whereabouts when he had lost it, but to no avail. He had run-ins with ghosts who chased him down hallways, their attacks doing damage over time and were immune to physical attacks. Ghouls had chased him with flailing arms, the limited space affecting his manoeuvrability and the rooms and corridors seemed endless. At some point, Yifan's mind had given up, too many inconsistent things happening for it to keep him sane. The assassin was further and further away from the outside and he couldn't stop himself from being dragged deeper into the darkness.

 

The house started to play its tricks. The man jerked when the shadow of a bird fluttered past his head, the hand that he used to steady himself against the wall slipped right through as the ground twisted and turned. Creatures morphed into humans, humans becoming furniture and at one point, Yifan spotted an owl that had a hand sticking out of its stomach. The assassin had just stumbled his way into a room when his foot sunk into something cold and wet, going right up to his knee and no matter what he did, he could not pull free. With his leg caught in the vice-like grip, he refocused his eyes on what was below him.

 

He wished he didn't. His foot had sunken into a bog of dark liquid, skulls and dead carcasses of humans and animals littered the surface and he had the urge to throw up. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the shadow of an armored man walking towards him, probably another hallucination that his mind had conjured in his moments of weakness. The man seemed familiar, like he had seen him before and in front of Yifan's eyes, the shadow started to morph. It was like watching a scene from The Exorcist. Bones cracked in odd places, the neck snapped back unusually, legs bent backwards and every body part jerked like it was in pain. The mouth opened in pain elongated into a snout, armor disappearing and becoming thick fur. The wolf whimpered as the rest of its body locked into place, panting heavily and staring at Yifan with blood-red eyes. Its mouth drooled globs of saliva, ears alert for any movement. It was the most realistic hallucination Yifan thought he ever saw.

 

It was the last image he saw before the wolf growled, pouncing onto his trapped body. Its teeth bared and ripping into the flesh savagely. The man tried to fight back, hands gripping his daggers and knives to stab at the creature that was on top of him. With weapons stuck into it like quills of a porcupine, the wolf jumped back with a growl. Using its mouth, it pulled out the ones it could reach and letting it drop onto the ground in soft clangs. Yifan yelled when it attacked again, jaws biting onto his arm and twisting until the bone broke, the assassin's arm useless. With his arm limp by his side, Yifan let out a scream as the wolf finally jumped at him for the final bite.

 

* * *

 

At the first sound of Yifan's distress, Joonmyeon had ran to the mansion doors to yank on the handle. It remained shut. As his teammate's pained yells became louder and more desperate, the sorcerer tried every way he could to get inside. Nothing worked. He tried all the doors, thrown stones at the windows and even jump onto the roof, every entry had been blocked and sealed by the house. At the final scream, Joonmyeon covered his ears and dropped to his knees in front of the main doors. Eyes shut tight, he didn't want to see the way Yifan's icon turned grey like the other three. Joonmyeon was the last member in a team of elites, what was he to do now? Soft whimpers left his mouth, his body curling into a fetal position and he rocked himself to convince himself that everything was just a nightmare.

 

His head jerked up as there was a low growl from behind him, his fingers raising to open his menu. As he hovered over the 'Sign Out' button, the padding footsteps told him that the wolf was approaching and without a second thought, he pressed the button. Just as he was logged out, the shadow of the wolf landed on the spot where he was just a few seconds ago, the animal turning and staring at him with angry, red eyes.

 

 

* * *

 

 **Author's Note:** Please feel free to contact me via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/m_prexs) or [Ask.fm](http://ask.fm/mprexs) if you have any questions about the story so far or you just want to talk! I promise I won't try to bite you :O A special thank you for all my precious readers right now and please do not feel like I've left details out, everything will be revealed in due time!


	5. Showdowns of Life and Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end is near, will Joonmyeon make it through to the end or will he fall? Everything comes to a conclusion and all loose ends are tied.
> 
> Special note: This chapter is un-beta'd, an edited version will be updated as soon as possible.
> 
> (One chapter posted each day until the end of [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/), on August 2nd)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Appreciation Note:**  
>  Thank you so, so much to the mods who kind of kicked me through all this, I'm finally there! Almost at the end! ヾ(。◕ฺ∀◕ฺ)ノ 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to my beta, [Emily](http://theforgettable.livejournal.com/), who patiently sat through my procrastination and got my chapters back to me before time. I owe you so much ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡
> 
> For everyone who wants to read other EXO long fics, please head to [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/) to read all the other amazing stories!
> 
>  **Disclaimer:**  
>  Many of the ideas in this fic was inspired by the anime Sword Art Online and my online experience in MMORPGs. I do not own the stories in them, only the idea that stemmed from it.
> 
> I also, do not own or am affiliated to any EXO member, the members are owned by themselves and their copyright remains with SM (or other company). I am only using them in this fic as entertainment and does not reflect them, at any point, in real life.

* * *

**Final Chapter: Showdowns of Life and Death**

 

 

The hustle and bustle was barely a murmur, all eyes focused on the body inside a glass pod. Eyes rolled back and forth under the eyelids, the eyebrows furrowing slightly. The workers held their breath as the connection light blinked from green to red. Slowly, eyelashes parted and a tear-filled blank look stared at the many faces. Minseok quickly called his workers to help the man out of the pod, his voice stern and commanding. The men and women rushed to prepare a bed, the glass dome lifting with a hiss of unreleased air. Electrodes and oxygen mask were pulled off the limp man, his body not reacting to the supporting arms that pulled him up from his position.

 

Joonmyeon's eyes drifted over to the pods that had contained Yifan and Jongdae, the containers void of any bodies. When the helpers placed him on the makeshift bed, the last member of the elite team looked to the CEO with a helpless whimper, the gamer's eyes glazed over as the memories came back to him.

 

"Really wanted to help but I was too scared! I let them go and now they're all gone!"

 

His face twisted into a look of anguish, rivers of tears falling as he broke down and cried.

 

"Hey, hey. Everyone has to be selfish at some point in their life." Minseok pulled up a chair to sit opposite him. "Think about it, we're so close to finding the problem. We're so close to saving everyone and you're still here to do it. If you went with them, you would have fallen into a coma too and we would have no one else to help investigate."

 

Joonmyeon's crying died down to a gentle sniffle, rubbing away the straying tears from his cheeks. He knew Minseok was right, but he couldn't help but feel that the weight of everyone's reliance on him will only end in disappointment.

 

"I don't know if I can do it. What if I get killed too?"

 

Minseok reached over, hands gently clasping Joonmyeon's own.

 

"You won't. I know you won't. I believe in you, the workers believe in you, even the Detective believes in you despite how he acts. You need to believe in yourself and trust your instincts like the leader that you are."

 

A soft exhale escaped parted lips, Joonmyeon's eyes closed as he tried to compose himself. Internally, he steeled himself to stay strong, he wasn't going to let his team get killed in the game and put into comas for nothing. With a nod, the man opened his eyes, a new fire burning in them. Minseok gave him a smile and the company employees clapped

 

"But first, can I use the bathroom and eat something?"

* * *

 

Beeping machines monitored the heart rate, pulse and blood sugar, an oxygen mask covered the bottom half of the man's face. The lights were becoming too bright and Joonmyeon started to squint at the men and women moving around in front of him. They dashed back and forth around the pod, Minseok next to him with a comforting hand on the other's shoulder.

 

"Are you ready, Joonmyeon? We still have the tracking on se_hunter94 so when we patch you in, it will be at the spot he was last recorded. After that, you have to make your own way, apparently he went off the map even though that area is undeveloped."

 

Gentle hands laid Joonmyeon back against the plush interior of the pod, his head raised slightly for the CEO to personally slip on the head gear. Once secured, the man stood back with a proud smile.

 

"We managed to create a video connection to your headset so we'll be able to see what you see and hear what you hear. It would help immensely to see why se_hunter94 had gone to that area, something must be there. But be careful and come back safely, preferably with everyone else."

 

Joonmyeon nodded, giving the man a small smile. With that, he closed his eyes and the green light signal of the connection flickered to life.

 

"Link, Start!"

 

Sunlight shone brightly, illuminating the bright colors of the surrounding environment. The wind rustled the leaves, strong gusts whipping through the tall blades of grass. Everything seemed normal but Joonmyeon knew that directly in front of him, the official maps end and no other landscape should be there. But in front of him was an archway made of trees, sunlight filtering through in mottle patches and making the image so much more serene.

 

The sorcerer took a slow step forward, expecting a resistant barrier to prevent him from continuing but he passed into the pathway easily. Confused at the map on his interface, Joonmyeon slowly made his way through the worn path. The wind blew through the leaves in short puffs of cool air, relieving the heat of the sun. Letting his eyes fall closed, Joonmyeon basked in the familiar setting, the calmness that settled in his body reducing him into a relaxed state. It was a feeling of deja vu, he had felt the same thing before. He had a nagging tug in the back of his mind but he dismissed the idea that he had ever experienced this before. But it felt so familiar.

 

Without wasting more time contemplating his feelings, Joonmyeon continued along the path and soon a looming mountain came into view. Strong and high with a large cave opening mid-way up. The poor man didn't have time to take in more of the glorious scenery, the sound of fighting echoed nearby. There were grunts of someone struggling, and sounds of metal swinging through the air. Flashes of gold shone through between trees, the golden glint catching his attention and Joonmyeon sneaked over to a large tree. He pressed his back against the rough bark and took a deep breath, with words of reassurance running through his mind and a pounding heart, he peeked from behind the tree trunk. He felt his throat get caught, eye wide as he stared at the sight in front of him.

 

On one side, in all his bright golden glory was se_hunter94. His shiny golden armor blinding, the man standing with his sword drawn and face drawn into a scowl. Opposite him stood a figure on all fours. Black glistening fur rippled over flexed muscles, white teeth bared like a serrated saw and framed by an angry snarl. Blood red eyes glistened with rage and droplets of drool dripped from the corner of its mouth. Joonmyeon watched as the wolf bolted at the warrior, legs pushing hard to propel it towards the infuriating man. The man raised his sword and readied himself to counter any attack.

 

The wolf dodged the swing of the sword, the blade burying into the grass and the hind legs pushed it to land on the offending man. With swipes of its sharp claws, it peeled back the pieces of expensive armor with ease. Sehunter rolled on the ground, his health depleting and he used all his might to push the wolf off. The black wolf hit a tree and slid to the ground whimpering softly before getting back onto its feet with a growl. The man grabbed his sword off the ground and ran at the animal, his weapon glowing brightly as he charged his skill and built up the power in the blade. He swung it at the wolf, using two hands to add further strength to the blow, but the wolf managed to jump out of the way, the sword lodging itself into the trunk. It was in deep, so deep that the warrior tried with all his might and could not free it from the wood.

 

Seeing its chance, the wolf attacked again. This time, it jumped up with its mouth wide open, sharp teeth latching onto Sehunter's neck tightly. The man let go of his sword, flailing his arms and trying to free himself from the attack but with no success. His HP bar slowly dropped, green to yellow to red. There were deep red gashes on his neck, the amount of red pixels springing from the wounds showed how heavy the damage was. A small amount health was left and Joonmyeon winced when a crack echoed through the trees. Sehunter's head rolled to the side, arms dropped to his side with smears of red on them and neck still in the wolf's mouth. Dropping the body onto the ground with a thud, the wolf nudged the body over to the side to pull broken branches and twigs to cover the body.

 

The wind blew again, leaves rustling and the sorcerer could feel his blood pounding in his ears when the wolf tilted its head up. Its ears were perked, twitching left and right to listen to any sounds, its nose sniffing the air. It dropped close to the ground, a growl leaving its lips. When Joonmyeon peeked from behind the tree, wolf was approaching his hiding spot with teeth bared to show its bloody state.

 

The man clutched at his staff, hands clutched together like he was praying. White light filtered out of the crystal on his staff, a rune circle opening under his feet. A spell was cast, the light swirling around the sorcerer in a sign of slight protection. With his confidence dwindling, Joonmyeon told himself he could do it, he will save the people the wolf had hurt so far. With that determination, he hopped out from behind the tree, shooting out shots of ice to hinder the wolf so he could have time to move. He had barely made his way around the wolf when the ice melted, the creature snapping at him with its powerful jaws. Joonmyeon turned, eyes searching for an escape route.

 

There was no other way except the way he came in or forward, up to the mountain. With the wolf on his heels, the man made the split decision to run up towards the cave he had seen earlier. Scenes flashed past and Joonmyeon couldn't stop the images that came to his mind; the same winding path, the fields in the distance and the sound of cheeky laughter. It had felt so right, so normal.

His robe was caught, a ripping sound rung in his ears and a tug sending him backwards. He landed with a thud and he had just brought his hands up in time to defend himself when the heavy body of the wolf landed on him. Claws dug into his flesh and all he could see was snapping teeth, slobber dripping onto his face as his arms kept the wolf at a distance from his neck. It was only then that he remembered that he had hidden daggers in his belt. Moving his arms meant risking a wound but there was no other option apart from growing tired and allowing the wolf to kill him.

 

Building up the energy in his arms, he pushed the wolf off enough to give himself time. His hands dived to his belt to pull out two small daggers and the wolf jumped on him again. This time he was more prepared and he used his left arm to protect himself from the gnashing teeth. His right swung in from the side, the small blade stabbing into the wolf's shoulder blade and dragging a deep gash down its side. It let out a loud whimper, hopping back onto three legs as the other hung limp against the ground, Joonmyeon using the opportunity to leave more wounds on the wolf. Black fur grew littered with red gashes, pixels floating from them as the wolf stumbled a retreat.

* * *

 

Red blotches of pixelated static was left as a trail by the feared red-eyed black wolf. It limped slowly back toward the cave in the mountains, a taller figure following it close behind. Joonmyeon had long beaten the creature into submission, the wolf too injured to attack him and instead had decided to retreat back to its hideout. The trail became rocky and steep, the entrance of the cave just a few meters ahead. That was when the sorcerer noticed the familiar surroundings and decoration.

 

A scarecrow-like figure stood outside the entrance on a straight platform of rock, the arms holding wooden swords and a target strapped to the hay-filled torso. Joonmyeon remembered sparring with that smiling scarecrow before. Inside the cave, golden light flickered on the walls, a large fire burning in the middle of a large living space. Joonmyeon remembered soft singing and roasted marshmallows around that fire. Wooden furniture decorated the interior, filled with lost trinkets and medals. Joonmyeon remembered arguing with someone about which type of wood to buy. Right inside, sat a large plush-looking bed with midnight blue sheets and silver pillows. Joonmyeon remembered his surprise when he came back to the cave to see the bed fashioned like that. He remembered loving the gift so much.

 

When the wolf entered the cave, it dragged itself over to the bed, avoiding the furniture carefully despite its state. During the journey, its body started to change. Legs elongated and fattened, paws becoming hands and feet. The snout retreated into its face to form the front of a black helmet and the lower half of the face where a pair of shapely lips parted to gasp in pain. Joonmyeon's face was one of horror, watching as the fur formed shiny pieces of black armor, interlocked by black chain mail. The ears folded backwards and formed the tapering point at the back of the helmet.

 

It was D.O. The black armored warrior hauled himself onto the bed, lying there spread like an eagle before his head turned to look at Joonmyeon. A weak smile formed on his lips and he let out a breathy laugh.

 

"It finally took you all this time to be here. Are you surprised it was me?"

 

"Who do you think you are?! Do you know how much pain you caused? How many people you have hurt?" The sorcerer dropped his staff, grabbing the warrior by the front of his armor and shaking him. "You know what, everyone at the company is watching and I am seeing this with my own two eyes. I'm going to reveal your face and you will regret everything you have done."

 

Hands dropped D.O like a sack of potatoes, the man lying on the bed and watched as Joonmyeon's hands went to his helmet. Fingers dug under the rim and pressed the release hatch, a soft unlocking sound resounding in the cave. Without much hesitation, Joonmyeon pulled the helmet off the warrior's head, looking down at him so that the workers, Minseok and Zitao could see who their offender was. The helmet dropped to the ground with a loud crack, the sorcerer's eyes wide as he stepped back. On the bed, wounded and smiling was Kyungsoo, the warrior Joonmyeon had once played with long before he had even started college.

 

"K-Kyungsoo? Is that really you?"

 

"Hi hyung. I kept it exactly as you left it. Just like in Utopia."

 

Joonmyeon shook his head, his mind not processing that his old friend had attacked the people in the game.

 

"But why did you attack people? Why did you do all this?"

 

Kyungsoo waved his hand gently, his leg swinging onto the bed as he used his free hand to push himself up against the pillows.

 

"I wanted to keep the places safe, to protect them from the filthy new players that would desecrate their original forms. I wanted to keep our special places safe."

 

Sliding to the ground, the sorcerer pulled off his hat and set it aside, running his hands through his hair as he tried to think of the reason the younger man would want to save the places for them exclusively. He didn't notice how Kyungsoo seemed to still be young, as youthful as back in the day of their gaming.

 

"How did you do it? How did you kill my team without us even realizing it was you?"

 

"Well..."

 

 

> _1\. Jongin cut through the grass with his sword, not knowing that behind him, a pair of red eyes watched for its chance. Kyungsoo had anonymously contacted se_hunter94 before they departed for the dungeon. He was such an arrogant man that Kyungsoo knew he would turn up to be better than the new team, the perfect suspect for what the warrior-turned-vigilante was going to do. He tracked the golden warrior with precision, making sure he was out of range before Kyungsoo's eyes flashed. Vines popped up from the ground, catching Jongin by surprise before he used his sword to cut through. He freed himself for a short time before larger vines wrapped around his body. They were as thick as an anaconda and were a hundred times stronger than a constrictor. Scuffles of feet alerted Kyungsoo of the approaching team, the wolf deciding to cut things fast, the vines tightening until Jongin had all the air wrung from his body. Kyungsoo threw himself into the smaller, sharper bush of vines, whimpering softly at the cuts before they retreated. All Kyungsoo had to do was pretend for the rest of the people._
> 
>  
> 
> _2\. When they split up in the Forest, Luhan was attached tightly to Kyungsoo's arm. The pretty man had just wanted to get out of the area as fast as possible. His imagination seemed to go into overdrive and more often than not he was pointing out his hallucinations to Kyungsoo. Ghosts, ghouls, zombies, his mother and Pluto the dog. Kyungsoo had been through the area one too many times, he easily blocked himself from thinking about things that scare him. Luhan hadn't been so lucky and had broken away from Kyungsoo just as Sehunter appeared out of the fog, whining something about a zombie wanting to eat his brains. Kyungsoo took the chance to attack the other warrior, pretending to yell for Luhan to run away. Soon after, Kyungsoo broke away from the fight to retreat and transform, Sehunter fighting an illusion of him created from his sudden fear of losing. In that time frame, he became the black wolf and approached the scared victim. Luhan was hiding and shivering, eyes darting around while his hands covered his ears. His eyes reflected common fear, it wasn't until he realized that the black wolf wasn't a hallucination and the light in his eyes changed into desperation. Kyungsoo easily pounced and mauled the mage to death, with enough time to run back to Sehunter to finish their fight. It was obvious Kyungsoo lost, being sliced on his side and left to lay in the middle of the forest until the other players arrived to believe his story._
> 
>  
> 
> _3\. Kyungsoo couldn't wait to enter the Maze of Destruction, the winding paths and changing walls meant that sooner or later, someone would be isolated from the rest of the team. It was Jongdae. After the dungeon and the attacks by chimeras, Kyungsoo followed and tracked the archer until he was close to breaking, saving him and further helping to the center of the maze to have the run-in with se_hunter94. It wasn't long before Jongdae came running back into the maze, leaving himself vulnerable for attack. Jumping from behind and leaving him life-threatening wounds. When the man had almost told the others who he was, Kyungsoo ended him with a snap to his neck, thinking people were no fun. It was unfortunate that the other members came too early, Kyungsoo having to ditch through the portal._
> 
>  
> 
> _4\. Yifan and Lay were the easiest to bait. Kyungsoo lead them on the chase to see who was more determined and stubborn. It was Yifan and since Lay had taken a liking to the taller man, he would probably go where the assassin did. Bringing them to the Nightmare Manor was like luring a donkey with a carrot. Yifan was stubborn, too deep in his revenge seeking to think clearly. It only took one move to separate them. Lay was strangled to death and pushed out a window, and Yifan was mauled when he was lost in the illusions of the house. Kyungsoo had wanted to go and take Joonmyeon too but he had logged out before Kyungsoo had gotten there._

 

Joonmyeon stared at the younger man with a frown on his face, tears in his eyes. Kyungsoo had wanted to kill him too, single him out for last because they had known each other, they used to be so close. What the sorcerer didn't understand was why Kyungsoo didn't just come out and tell it was him from the beginning.

 

"Kyungsoo... How are you here? Why are you protecting each place?"

 

"I... I am now a part of this world now hyung. I am a part of the internet and a large part of this game. When Utopia was shut down, I was in darkness for so long. It was so cold, so lonely. Then I saw this light, I went towards it and it was actually someone restarting the world again. But I wasn't the same, I knew. I felt more alive, more connected and I could basically use this as a power, the power to manipulate areas of the World." His expression darkened considerably. "Then the people came, flooding in hordes and not caring about what they destroy. I had to keep them safe."

 

Joonmyeon still didn't understand. He was confused, and scared. But Kyungsoo continued on, explaining the significance of each of the places he had 'saved'.

 

"They all have a special memory.... Don't you remember? We first met in the Tree of Life when we hit there after dark. The Forest was the first time I saved you from your own memories. We still argued a lot even after all that gaming together, the Maze was where we finally worked together with our fighting rather than trying to best each other. Meanwhile, the Manor was the first time you saved me, I was very grateful for that, hyung. And finally, this 'Cave of Death' as labelled by the people, was our sanctuary. We both came here to escape reality and it became our second home. You told me to wait for you, so I saved up all these places so when you're here, we can finally run through them again..."

 

Kyungsoo's voice started to grow weak, his eyes filled with tears as he looked at the man that he had waited so long for. In that moment, Joonmyeon remembered the promise he had made before he left Utopia forever. The older reached over, fingers taking Kyungsoo's hand into his own and he looked up at him.

 

"It's okay. I'm back. I came back for you, Kyungsoo. Hyung is back."

 

"But... I don't want to leave you just yet..." Kyungsoo whispered softly, his fingers twitched slightly.

 

"You're not leaving me, Kyungsoo. You _are_ The World, you're always going to be with me."

 

Thick lips pulled into a heart-shaped smile, eyes forming crescent shapes as crystalline tears ran down soft cheeks. Kyungsoo faded, leaving behind a glowing silver crystal and a soft whisper.

 

"Thank you, hyung."

 

The crystal floated in front of Joonmyeon, a window popped up with a message. 'Unknown item, obtained from unknown. Place into inventory?'. The sorcerer hit the O button for okay and checked his inventory for the crystal. Without knowing what it is, the man equipped it to his accessory slot on his avatar and there was a tinkling sound in the distance. Joonmyeon turned his head just as something flew into his cheek. He blinked in surprise and looked down at his left shoulder, a tiny being sitting there and rubbing its head.

 

"Owie, hyung!"

 

Kyungsoo puffed his cheeks as he stared up at the giant man, his silver and white clothes shimmering in the flickering flame of the fire. His transparent fairy wings sprinkled silver glitter and tinkled every time he fluttered them. Joonmyeon let out a little laugh, reaching to rub Kyungsoo's head with the tip of his finger.

 

"Hello again, my little warrior."

 

 

* * *

 

 **Author's Note:** Please feel free to contact me via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/m_prexs) or Ask.fm if you have any questions about the story so far or you just want to talk! I promise I won't try to bite you :O


	6. Requiescat in Pace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened to the players in a coma? Do they wake up or are they still asleep forevermore? The epilogue and final piece to end their journey.
> 
> Special note: This chapter is un-beta'd, an edited version will be updated as soon as possible.
> 
> (One chapter posted each day until the end of [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/), on August 2nd)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Appreciation Note:**  
>  Thank you so, so much to the mods who kind of kicked me through all this, I'm finally here! I'm finally at the end! ヾ(。◕ฺ∀◕ฺ)ノ 
> 
> Also, thank you so much to my beta, [Emily](http://theforgettable.livejournal.com/), who patiently sat through my procrastination and my tears and 31.1k of complete crazy ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ‸இﾟ)ﾟ｡
> 
> For everyone who wants to read other EXO long fics, please head to [The Exordium Challenge](http://the-exordium.livejournal.com/) to read all the other amazing stories!
> 
> **Disclaimer:**  
>  Many of the ideas in this fic was inspired by the anime Sword Art Online and my online experience in MMORPGs. I do not own the stories in them, only the idea that stemmed from it.
> 
> I also, do not own or am affiliated to any EXO member, the members are owned by themselves and their copyright remains with SM (or other company). I am only using them in this fic as entertainment and does not reflect them, at any point, in real life.

* * *

**Epilogue: Requiescat in Pace**

 

_White sheets slid to the ground, crumpling into a heap. Machines beeped consistently and lights flashed on screens. Four pairs of eyes fluttered and squinted, breathing regulated by an oxygen mask. Figures in white ran over with clipboards and stethoscopes in their hands, worried looks on their faces under unruly hair. Fingers twitched over smooth linen, eyes focusing on plain ceilings and heartbeats raced. Yifan was the first to sit up, fingers pulling off the electrodes attached to his body, arms shaking as he desperately tried to climb off. Jongin's eyes glanced from side to side at the men and women at the side of his bed, his eyelids sliding closed once again as he fell back to sleep. Jongdae sat up with a yell, his hand going to his side as he tried to grab at the bow he would carry in game. Luhan woke screaming, thrashing on the bed, waving his arms and kicking his legs to defend himself from the nightmares he would have experienced right before he fell into the coma._

 

_It took doctors about an hour just to calm Luhan, the poor man a complete wreck as he hugged Minseok tightly and babbled nonsense. Yifan and Jongdae were easier to look after, the two becoming very quiet as they let the doctors perform their checks. Jongin just stayed asleep, occasionally rolling over in his bed to cuddle the pillow._

 

_"Where... is Joonmyeon?"_

 

_The workers took a deep breath, glancing at each other before Minseok and Zitao gave them nods, allowing them to explain that the mage was still within the game. Yifan tried to get up, his weak legs wobbling before he crumpled to the floor._

 

_"We need to go to him."_

 

_Jongin was roused from his sleep, his puffy eyes squinting and his lips pulled into a pout like a sleepy little bear. They were all eased into wheelchairs, pushed out by members of staff to the last pod where Joonmyeon was still inside, the green light blinking to show its connection. Jongdae turned to look at Zitao who typed furiously into his phone._

 

_"So what exactly is happening? Why isn't he waking up?"_

 

_"We don't know what is happening right now since our video line cut right after Kyungsoo became the fairy--"_

 

_The explanation was cut abruptly when the pod in front of them hissed, the glass fogging with the pressurized air as it lifted up. A mist drifted and faded, revealing the man inside. His eyes were open, a smile on his lips under the oxygen mask. Joonmyeon looked over at the people around him, glad to see them alive and a twinkle sparkled in his eyes as he waited for the attendant to remove the electrodes from his body. Before he could even speak, Jongdae cut him off._

 

_"Who is Kyungsoo?"_

 

_"Well, that's where it gets complicated..." Joonmyeon chuckled, his voice raspy from disuse._

* * *

 

The sky was clear and bright blue, the sun radiating a gentle warmth that was accepted and appreciated by the people that walked through the streets. A series of black vans pulled up at a small town cemetery, people nearby pausing in their work to watch curiously. The doors rolled open and a group of people stepped out.

 

Zitao stood at the front, sunglasses shielding his eyes and his now black hair swept neatly over his forehead. A shorter figure stood behind him, orange hair parted in the middle and formed into waves that framed his round face. They were both dressed to impress, not wanting their reputations ruined if media were to catch them in plain jeans and a t-shirt. White shirts buttoned to the top, looped with a black tie and a light jacket hung over their shoulders. They both had expensive belts with buckles that glinted in the light, holding up pristine pressed trousers which fell over polished shoes.

 

Their employees were dressed almost the same, all of them standing around like guards as the door of the last van opened. A head of brown hair appeared first, sunglasses hiding the eyes beneath thick angry eyebrows. Yifan wore a simple white shirt with a black collar, tucked neatly into black pants. His shoes were a little scuffed but they completed the outfit to give him a more sophisticated feel. Right after him, a backwards snapback poked out from inside smiling eyes twinkling behind a playful frame of fake glasses. Jongdae wore a plaid shirt, the red and white striped material tucked into dark blue jeans and held up with suspenders. His shoes were plain leather shoes, similar to the ones worn by students.

 

Whining about Jongdae's slowness, pretty hands shoved him out of the way. Expensive boots landed on the sidewalk, the top half covered by blue jeans with a pink shirt tucked into it neatly. It matched well with the man's cotton candy-colored hair that was parted suspiciously like Minseok's. Luhan beamed and bounced over to the CEO and wrapped his arms around him, much to Minseok's dismay. Joonmyeon was next, choosing to wear proper formal wear to such an event. He had on a light blue shirt, tucked into black pants and feet covered in shiny, black leather shoes. On top of that, he had on a light jacket made of the finest midnight blue material that was as light as a feather and as smooth as silk without the shine. Jongin had to be roused from his nap in the car, the young man almost stumbling and falling on his face as he exited the van. Since he was young, the best clothes he could find was a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans with tears at the knee. His feet were in black sneakers and black headphones hung around his neck, soft music playing from the earpiece.

 

When everyone was ready, the group of people entered the cemetery. Their target was a small tombstone close to the edge of the block, looking out towards the open sky and the ocean. The stone had a small picture embedded, carvings of mythical creatures surrounded it and painted elegant colors. Do Kyungsoo was only seventeen in the picture, his most recent school photo showing him with neat black hair and a shy smile.

 

Joonmyeon looked upon the grave with a heavy heart, now knowing the full story of how the younger man had died and couldn't help but feel that he was somehow responsible. One by one, the workers went up to place small wreaths or bouquets on top of the grave, the colors becoming like multi-colored confetti piled on top of the stone. When they had all finished giving their messages, the employees retreated to the vans to give their boss and the team some privacy.

 

Zitao stepped up first, his fingers holding onto a single rose. He placed it under the photo with a bow of his head.

 

"Kyungsoo, even though you gave us a run for our money, in the end you just wanted to keep the places safe. Thank you, for returning the players to us."

 

Stepping up next to the detective, Minseok placed down a small bouquet of glass snowdrops.

 

"I am deeply sorry for your loss, I would like to dedicate a special event and a whole new patch that will open the mountains and have your story as the legend that surrounds it. I hope that your memory will live on like the snowdrops."

 

"Uh, yo." Yifan awkwardly tripped on a pebble, stumbling up to the tombstone like a flailing noodle to place a wreath of white roses. "So uh, now that I know the story, I understand why you had to do those things so...no hard feelings, yeah?"

 

Jongdae and Luhan nudged each other as they fought over who would go first, their flowers suffering as they were used to hit each other. Jongdae's tulips won out and he offered them to the tombstone like a sacrifice.

 

"I know you killed me in game and put me into a coma, but honestly you should have just told us or someone about it. I think we would be happy to help somehow--"

 

"Ignore him, he's not good with his words. Right, Jongdae?" Luhan elbowed the younger man to the side, putting down a bouquet of various flowers. "I wished we could be friends though, you seem so nice."

 

Joonmyeon had to nudge Jongin towards the grave, the boy jerking awake from his nap while standing up. He placed down a handful of daisies, wrapped in a crumpled and wonky decorating paper like he had done it himself.

"I was the first to go in the team, so I don't know exactly what you did to the others...But I wished we had more time with each other, I really like you and maybe you could have taught me some new skills... I'll promise not to sleep on your lessons."

 

Everyone let out a soft laugh, knowing how much the other loved his sleep. Murmuring to each other, they all stepped back for Joonmyeon to have his own time with Kyungsoo's tombstone.

 

"Is there really much to say to you here when I can see you again soon?" He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess, you shouldn't have sacrificed yourself this way just to wait for me. I know I promised to come back for you, but you shouldn't have done this to yourself... we could have met for real, you know? You should have just called for me, I would've come back eventually."

 

The man wiped away the tears that stung at the corner of his eyes, sniffling slightly as he reached to clip a crystal forget-me-not directly under Kyungsoo's photo. The clip fit snugly onto the edge of the frame and sparkled in the light as Joonmyeon stepped back to smile weakly.

 

"I'll see you in a bit, Kyungsoo. Wait for me, I'll bring the others along."

 

With small bow, the man turned away. The wind suddenly picked up, rustling through the grass of the cemetery and ruffling everyone's hair gently. It whipped around Joonmyeon like a small cyclone, fluttering butterflies brushing past his cheek like a gentle caress of soft hands or the fluttering wings of a little raging fairy. Smiling, he sped up to reach his team of players who also doubled as his friends.

 

"Hey guys, I have something to tell you..."

* * *

 

 

_In loving memory of Do Kyungsoo, a smart child and loving son._

_"Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I'll miss you until we meet again."_

_12 January 2078 - 12 January 2095_

 

## FIN

  

 

 

 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:** Please feel free to contact me via [Twitter](https://twitter.com/m_prexs) or [Ask.fm](http://ask.fm/mprexs) if you have any questions about the story or you just want to talk! I promise I won't try to bite you :O A special thank you for all my precious readers! I hope you liked it, though I am still not happy with some points of the story, I will be re-editing this for a long time before I am totally satisfied. Thank you and I love you all!


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